The 2 Trios
by The Assassins Anthem
Summary: The Coppin siblings were unhappy to say they were completely normal magical children. Then they somehow manage to get caught up in Harry Potter's problems. Normalcy lost.
1. Prologue: The Ravenclaw

And there she was.

Lit by the dim light coming from the splintered sliding glass door, a woman with dark brown hair lay on the floor without movement or color. Severus could only stare at her.

It was the second time within the decade Severus Snape had seen the dead body of someone he loved. The first time for a lover, this time for a friend.

Around Severus there was a bookcase on the ground surrounded by glass and a curtain torn into pieces near the window. The couch was out of place, upside down, and ripped. Shredded papers were strewn about and the light fixture had burst, sparking to give just enough light to the bloodstains leading down the hallway.

Dumbledore, who was standing beside Severus, took a step forward. "Andrew—"

"She's dead," came the firm voice of a man sitting next to the body. He was staring at the woman with a blue gaze that was full of plans and calculation. In fact, it looked as if the man was staring off into space.

"And the children?" Dumbledore asked.

"Alive," Andrew said, "but _as always_ they came with an unforeseeable advantage."

"Who?" Severus demanded. It was an effort to keep his voice even as he remembered Adrianna—the dead woman in front of him—squaring off with the insanity that was Bellatrix Lestrange. The deranged witch had condemned this family that day, despite the lack of one at the time.

"Lestrange," Andrew spoke. The confirmation made Severus grow tense. "Lestrange and that mutt, Greyback. I assume he came to get back at me."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Dumbledore said, talking to the Ravenclaw like he was a student at Hogwarts again. Andrew sighed and staggered to his feet. From that movement alone, Severus could tell the bloodstains on the carpet just to the left of them belonged to the Ravenclaw in the room.

"Follow me," he said, limping forward. "I will have to be brief. The Ministry will be on their way as soon as they notice the Dark Mark." Severus scoffed as they followed him.

"The one _you_ conjured, no doubt?" he spat bitterly. Greyback didn't have the brains or the authority and to Bellatrix, this was personal. Andrew stopped closer to the Potions Master, gazing at him.

"I had to," he told them as any Ravenclaw would tell a fact. "It was the only way to stop the Ministry from sticking their noses where they don't belong. If they just think it is some stray Death Eater attack on a well-off magical family—"

"A lie," Severus hissed. "Lestrange has been planning this for years. But I suppose you have some reason to let the wizarding world believe Adrianna was weaker than a few petty Death Eaters."

"Come now, Severus—" Dumbledore attempted

But Severus refused to be placated. "You may have been a genius at school, but even you could hardly deny her wellbeing was not the only thing you concerned yourself with when you heard this might happen."

"Why would I deny it?" Andrew asked, that familiar ferocious gaze the only indication of his irritation. Otherwise, this all seemed like a huge inconvenience and that was all. "I did not know her as long as you did nor did I marry her specifically for love, but what does that matter? Considering your choice of 'friends,' I would think you would at least understand the importance of family ties." Severus glared at him. This Ravenclaw was pushing his patience. A _lot._

"Andrew," Dumbledore said without raising his voice even a bit. "Where are the children?" Andrew's gaze broke from Severus's and turned to the Headmaster.

Without a word he moved past both professors, limping into the other room. Severus followed him into a large bedroom decorated with green and silver. A bed was in the corner with dressers and other normal furniture. In the middle of the room, however, were four very different figures.

"I had to make them sleep; the shock would have done them more harm than good," Andrew explained, shuffling over to their side.

Taking a closer look, Severus saw what they were. While a normal five year old lay sprawled out on the far right with blood smeared on her face, three creatures were beside her. A young white canine no larger than a normal-sized book was in the middle, while a gray foal on its side breathed next to the pup, taking up much of the space with its disproportionally long legs.

Finally he came to the third creature, a black snake. Whatever flames ate at him before turned to ice as he gazed upon the animal of his Hogwarts house. Imagining the young girl in her human form—the spitting image of her mother—he thought, _Amanda._

Severus could still remember visiting Adrianna just once at St. Mungo's, where she had been for a few weeks once it was known there was not one, not two, but three children ready to be born. With Adrianna being on the smaller side, Severus had heard the birth hadn't gone well at all, but that was not the reason he had shown up. It was a letter delivered by owl to which asked him to witness the changing of inheritance from Elena, Adrianna's oldest daughter, to her second oldest, Amanda. Severus had been ready to warn Adrianna for choosing so soon, but Andrew had stopped him in the hallway, explaining the form Amanda was to take when she grew. Severus had known at that point that Adrianna was not changing her mind.

Andrew knelt next to the foal, staring once again with those calculations and plans.

"They had a few years left at least for this to happen naturally, so I refrained from telling them about it. At such a young age, being in these forms for a year could alter their personalities and growth in ways even I can't predict."

"What, dare I ask, caused the curse to react with them so early?" Dumbledore asked. "And why has your youngest stayed the same?" Andrew sighed with fire dancing in his eyes. The man didn't even have to speak to tell Severus he was thinking of the werewolf the Ravenclaw had so often fought during the war.

"Greyback attacked her," the man said. "From what I could tell, her older sisters just answered their instinct. Greyback was unconscious the next thing I knew. Judging by the breed of snake Amanda is, she was the one that did it."

Severus asked, "What of Bellatrix?"

"After I saw Greyback on the floor I searched for her, but she was gone. She got what she came for," Andrew answered. As he continued staring at the foal, Severus caught a few emotions flitting behind the machine that was Andrew Coppin.

"What is it you called us for? They do not seem injured or in any immediate harm," Dumbledore said, his grandfatherly tone sending irritation through Snape's spine.

Andrew's gaze raised before he replied, "I need you to keep them from the Notts."

"What do you mean, my boy?" Dumbledore asked.

"I want them to go to Augusta Longbottom—she knows enough about Adrianna and I to take care of them," the Ravenclaw explained. "If all goes well, she will even accept Jessica the way she is." Severus's eyes narrowed tightly as he set the pieces into place.

"You are a coward," the potions master stated. "You plan to leave your children with a stranger rather than take care of them yourself." Not that Severus was truly bothered about the other three, but Andrew was yet again trying to get away with avoiding true responsibility and Amanda needed to be with her relatives.

Andrew's gaze didn't falter.

"I cannot take care of these children, Severus. I have creatures to attend to, places to be, plans to figure out—"

"And a limited time to do so," Severus stated coldly. Andrew's anger showed full force at that—it looked as if he were ready to bare his teeth and charge at Severus.

"This is not as simple as giving normal children to a friend, Andrew," Dumbledore reasoned, speaking before the Ravenclaw had a chance to. "Your children will never be the same as other magical children. If you had to leave them, would it not be more reasonable to give them to someone who knows them?"

"They will be normal enough when they become human again, and I can arrange payments for Wolfsbane for Severus," Andrew growled back.

"Out of Adrianna's vaults, no doubt," Severus said.

"She was not the only one born into influential bloodlines, if you don't remember," Andrew said lowly. His eyes reminded Severus of an eagle's. A very spineless, pathetic eagle.

"Is your hatred of the Nott family so significant that you would deny them their nieces?" Dumbledore asked. Andrew scoffed.

"If that family was not a bunch of Death Eaters, I wouldn't even consider taking them to Augusta," the Ravenclaw hissed. "I will not have Audrey or any of them raised like those murderers no matter what clever scheme you have set up for their future if they were to be raised there, especially so soon after the war."

"What of Amanda?" Snape asked at last. "Adrianna _wanted_ her to grow into the expectation of carrying on her Pureblood—"

"I know very well what she wanted," Andrew interrupted. His voice had grown cold now. "However, I will not make exceptions. These three must stay together, no matter what Adrianna wished for. If you want Elena to stay there permanently, fine—she isn't mine anyway. But you know what these three could do and why breaking them apart would be devastating to their potential."

Severus scoffed, but Dumbledore stopped his retort.

"If it is your wish," Dumbledore answered.

Severus, tense, asked, "Amanda would at least be allowed to _visit_ the Notts and other Slytherin families, I assume?"

Andrew shrugged. "There isn't much I can do about that. If you care enough to carry out Adrianna's wishes in a round-about way, be my guest. I only want them grow up together in a house not infested with Death Eaters."

"I will do what I must," Severus answered.

"I appreciate that," Andrew said stiffly, taking out his wand. He waved it, causing a long glass snake to come floating over. He gently lifted Amanda's snake form and set her in his pocket. Then he took the flexible clear glass snake and set it on the other three, making sure they were touching it.

"Greyback is in the kitchen," Andrew said.

He set a hand on the portkey and disappeared.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

I don't think I have ever hated one of my own characters so much.

Alright! So several years ago I had the brilliant idea of writing this story, and I did. I wrote all the way up to halfway through the seventh book. I reread it a few months ago and cried. That was how bad the first four were (the fifth one was when I finally learned what writing was). Long story short, this is the rewrite.

Also, I solemnly swear the following chapters will be longer. This just needed end here before a tsunami of bad followed it.

Now I have to go figure out how to title this because titles are literally the hardest part of writing.


	2. Chapter 1

The time had come for a hunt.

In a forest long deserted by wandering humans, there was a clearing that had been claimed by a large herd of deer. With the full moon giving them clarity in the night, they all grazed peacefully. All aside from one small doe whose leg was badly broken.

Behind the trees, something stumbled. Birds flew from their branches. The deer's heads shot up.

A gray horse barely grown burst from the trees. It neighed and raced through the herd, a look of fear in her eyes. The deer paused, but two long howls had them racing after the horse.

The horse moved closer to the injured doe, who sprang on three legs, fighting to keep going. Behind them matching growls grew closer, so the herd hurried into the trees on the other side and split.

Deeper into the forest they went, listening to the snarling that drew closer. The injured doe stumbled, and the horse slowed, neighing. The doe struggled, but before it could stand a black snake struck its leg, and the doe fell again. It squealed, squirming to its feet just as a brown figure smashed straight into it. The brown wolf—a werewolf, judging by its shorter snout and tail—killed it swiftly with a bite to the neck, and in seconds, the injured doe was out of its misery.

A smaller white wolf bounced into view, barking with the rush of the chase in her veins. The werewolf growled, taking the first bite of its kill. The white wolf paid no attention to the fresh meat, however, and was instead following a neat scent that led away from the group. The snake found a rock to curl up on, and the gray horse grazed on the green undergrowth beneath the trees.

Hours later, when dawn came, the four creatures made it to the edge of the forest. The snake and white wolf shifted into their human forms in just a few smooth seconds before they watched the werewolf's less elegant transformation. When she, too, was in human form, she fell like a sack of flour. The sisters caught their unconscious sister before she hit the muddy ground and hoisted her onto the back of the gray horse.

"Hey, don't give me all the weight!" the one who was the snake, Amanda, exclaimed.

"I'm not!" the other cried back under the strain of their sister.

With both girls keeping the youngest on the horse, they walked on, trekking to the house in the distance. By the time the sun completely announced its presence, they had passed the wards and were at the front door of the house.

"We're home!" Amanda announced as she burst through the door.

"Be quiet, Amanda!" hissed the other girl, Delilah, as she carefully slid their little sister off the horse. "Gran might be asleep! You _know_ how she gets during the full moon!"

"Yeah, yeah," Amanda said, waving her off. The horse transformed, brushing herself off before helping Delilah.

"She's right," Audrey—the one who had been the horse—said, using a quiet voice. Amanda rolled her eyes as she watched her sisters carry the werewolf into the house and onto the couch.

"Welcome back!" exclaimed one of the house elves as they trotted in. Down the hallway, a pudgy black haired boy that entered the room as quietly as a mouse. The house elf went on, "Did the full moon go well?"

Delilah's eyes brightened. "Guess what I—!"

"It was boring," Amanda sighed, crossing her arms as the two house elves appeared through the kitchen and checked on the unconscious girl on the couch. "I downed another doe. _Easy._ The rest of the night was just waiting around."

"No scratches, no bruises!" exclaimed one of the house elves with a wide smile.

"See? It was a very uninteresting moon," Amanda sighed.

One of the house elves gave a snap of her fingers and the werewolf rose from the couch, her head falling since she was still unconscious.

The two elves went through the hallway, disappearing into a room to which the door had a very large 'Enter at your own risk' sign on the door.

A black owl fluttered into the room, hooting.

"Er, Audrey," Neville said, stepping forward, "Gran said to feed him extra because of how much he has had to fly lately."

"I know, I know," Audrey said with a dismissive gesture. "He can wait for a few hours—I need some sleep first."

"I'm tired too," Delilah admitted.

"Oh," Neville said, lowering his head. "I-I was hoping one of you could help practice more before tomorrow. . ."

"How many times do I have to tell you that there is no magical test to get into Hogwarts?" Amanda asked. "It makes no sense!"

"You never know," Delilah pointed out, her pale hazel eyes brightly looking to Amanda. "It never hurts to practice anyway."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to practice with you," Amanda said, turning toward the staircase. "I'm too sleepy."

"Me too," Audrey agreed.

"Alright. . ." Neville sighed. "Could we maybe practice later then? When you wake up?"

"Of course, Neville!" Delilah exclaimed. "As soon as we get up!" He smiled at her.

" _You_ can," Amanda grumbled with a yawn. Delilah rolled her eyes before dashing past Audrey up the stairs.

* * *

By the time the three of them woke up, Gran ordered them to stay inside for whatever reason. After that, dinner was ready. Neville picked at his food, though Audrey and the rest of her sisters wolfed it down. Similar to every meal after the full moon, there was a lot of meat for them and the young werewolf, who ate her meal half asleep before staggering like a troll back to her bedroom.

After dinner, they managed to get only an hour of studying in (as ordered by Gran) before they were sent to bed.

So there, in the dark, after Delilah and Amanda had snuck in to Audrey's room, they lay in the very large bed whispering about the upcoming train ride to Hogwarts. Jessica, of course, remained asleep, for even if she was going to Hogwarts that year, the full moon had taken too much from her for her to be awake at all.

"What was that one about?" asked Audrey. "I didn't get the chance to go through that chapter."

"Eh. I only read about a quarter of the way through it—too much theory for me," Amanda said with a yawn.

"I'll be the most ill-prepared witch there," Audrey said, sighing.

"That's ridiculous—I bet there are tons of first years that don't read their textbooks before hand," Amanda said firmly.

"That is true," Delilah said through the darkness. "There are plenty of muggle-borns who hardly know what to do with their books and wand after they get it. At least, that's what Elena told me."

"But Malfoy said _he_ already knew how to—"

"Are you _really_ going to believe what he has to say?" Delilah asked. "He's _always_ lying about stuff."

"Hey, that's my future husband you're talking about!" Amanda said as quietly as she could. Delilah rolled her eyes. Audrey could practically see the teasing grin on her face.

"Yeah, right," the wolf girl said.

"Why _else_ would he come over every single time we go to Uncle—?"

"Shh!" Audrey suddenly hissed. Amanda clamped her mouth shut as she heard the creaking of the floors. Barely breathing, the three of them waited for the footsteps to fade away, all staring at the door.

"We should be quieter," Audrey spoke. "Gran won't let us go if she finds us all in here."

"Obviously," Amanda muttered. "But what does she expect? We're going to _school_ tomorrow!"

"Be quiet, remember?" Audrey hissed.

"Okay, mother!" Amanda snapped back.

"I wonder what it will be like," Delilah spoke with that dreamy tone, "You know, with classes and everything. I hope we get into the same house like the Weasley family—it would be so _weird_ not being with you guys."

"Well _I'm_ going to be in Slytherin, and since none of you _want_ to be in Slytherin, I doubt that's going to happen," Amanda pointed out.

"I never said I didn't want to go into Slytherin—I actually think I belong in Slytherin," Audrey protested. Amanda scoffed, opening her mouth, but their other sister interrupted them.

"I think I want to be in Gryffindor," Delilah answered. "But who knows? Gran said you don't always go where you want to go."

"I wonder if anyone will be in Ravenclaw with Elena?" Audrey asked.

"I sure don't want to be in there—that sounds like a lot of work," Amanda said. "I mean really, who wants to—?"

"Shh!" hissed Audrey at once, hearing that creaking sound again. When she listened closer, however, she was almost certain the sound came from the house elves. It was much quieter.

The next morning was a blur for Audrey. Like any time they went somewhere, it was a mix of hair-brushing, rushing around, and a lot of shouting about because the person you needed was always at the opposite end of the house and there were always three people between you and where you needed to go. They hurried around going over lists out loud, remembering last minute things, and gathering their school supplies all while somehow finding a minute or two to eat breakfast.

Audrey had packed earlier, so her trunk was already in the living area by the time they were supposed to leave. Same with Delilah, though their wolf sister (the human one, not the werewolf) was constantly adding little things throughout the morning. Amanda was ready in terms of being packed, but as always she was still messing with her thin but silky nearly black hair.

"The entire school is going to have their eyes on me during the sorting," she had said when Audrey had commented on it. "I have to look good."

A few minutes late as always, Audrey glanced out the window whilst waiting for Neville and his Gran to show.

"Did your owl come back yet?" Amanda asked.

"No," Audrey sighed.

"Oh well…Gran said she would send him over," Delilah spoke. Audrey shook her head and strode back over to her trunk.

"What's the point of having an owl if he's never here?" Audrey said.

Neville came rushing through the hall with his trunk in tow. Gran came in right after the "Enter At Your Own Risk" sign went invisible on Jessica's door. Audrey turned to pick up her trunk as her sisters did, wordlessly waiting for Gran to gather the floo powder from the cupboard.

"I trust you all remember what to say?" Gran asked, hobbling forward with her usual red handbag and her vulture hat. Audrey caught Delilah wrinkling her nose at it. "Do you all have your tickets?"

As if they would lose them. Audrey knew Delilah had been holding onto hers for a week. They all responded nevertheless, and Gran hurried Neville in first. Nervously, he said the word loud and clear albeit with a face of worry.

It took about ten minutes for them all to get to the main muggle walkway, and there were a _lot_ of them. Muggles, that was. Audrey gripped her trolley hard, staying close to Gran and her sisters as she tried to block out all the noise of yelling, boots on concrete, and trains.

"Scared already?" Amanda teased. She pushed her own trolley with ease, always with that prideful spring in her step.

"I don't like crowds," Audrey muttered.

"I know that," Amanda said with a roll of her eyes.

"We're almost there!" Delilah announced with a skip as they maneuvered past station eight. "Aren't you both excited?"

"Quiet down, now," Gran said. "We mustn't draw any attention to ourselves."

Not that all of their luggage helped matters, nor the empty owl cage Audrey brought just in case her owl showed up before they got onto the train.

Finally, just as they saw an older boy walk through the wall with their parents, Audrey and her sisters made it to the platform. Audrey and Neville, of course, hesitated.

"Oh, come now, I told you how to get through weeks ago…"

Gran's muttering was ignored as Amanda rushed toward the wall. Audrey held her breath, but her sister was gone. Delilah went on right after her, vanishing as soon as she hit the bricks.

"You next, Neville," Gran ordered. His hands white as he gripped his trolley, Neville stared at the bricks only a second before speeding his way through, tripping just as he got to the wall. Audrey heard his grandmother sigh and she tried hard not to imagine the crash which surely happened on the other side.

"I better go see if he is alright," Gran muttered, and stomped through.

Audrey's stomach turned at the idea of walking into a wall despite the fact she had done many other logic defying things. Maybe it was instinct, but something within her bellowed at just how _wrong_ running toward hard, solid brick was. No matter how many times she would argue with the knowledge that the brick wasn't solid at all, that little voice would say otherwise.

So she bolted.

Audrey neither crashed nor tripped, making it smoothly just as Amanda turned around to greet her with impatient eyes.

"Come _on_ ," her sister urged. "Theo and Draco are probably already on the train!"

"How can they be? We're early!" Neville pointed out.

"We are?" Audrey asked.

"Has the world ended?" Amanda asked, pretending to look around scared. "Hold the owls, folks, the Coppin's have arrived early! Call the _Prophet!_ Bring in the Aurors! This is obviously the work of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"

"Amanda!" Gran hissed. Amanda flinched and turned around as Gran went on yelling, "How _dare_ you speak of such things in a place like this!"

"I was only joking," Amanda pouted.

"I have told you once, and I will tell you again," Gran said, taking a step forward. Audrey's head lowered as she gazed at her sister. " _Never_ joke about You-Know-Who, _especially_ with other witches and wizards around!"

"Yes, Gran…" Amanda sulked.

"Now hurry along—we may be early, but you better find a seat while you can." Gran said.

With Amanda's mood officially ruined, they went forward into yet another crowd of people. As the elderly lady led them, Audrey fell behind to Amanda, who was scowling and staring at her hands as they walked, thoroughly ignoring Delilah.

"It's just because of Neville's parents, you know that," Delilah was saying, giving her pouting sister a small smile.

"I thought that was really funny," Audrey offered from the other side of Amanda. Her sister lifted her head.

"Was it?" Amanda asked.

Audrey opened her mouth to respond just as she heard a familiar boy call out, "Amanda! Over here!"

"Theo!" Amanda called. She set her gaze on Gran, who had stopped along with the rest of them. "Can I…?"

"Oh, go ahead," she said. "Just make sure you and your things get on the train, or you will be joining Jessica next year instead." Amanda nodded.

"Yes, Gran. Thank you, Gran!" Amanda exclaimed. She turned and gazed at Delilah and Audrey.

"I think I'll get on the train over here," Audrey said, not particularly wanting to be with Draco or Theo that day

"Me too," Deliliah spoke. "We probably couldn't all fit in a compartment anyway." Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Sticks in the mud," she teased, then turned and waved quickly, yelling over her shoulder, "See you at Hogwarts!"

Audrey really didn't know how she, Neville, and Delilah managed to find a compartment. It was packed on the platform, as they were not quite early enough to avoid the unpredictable crowds. So they had headed straight for the train, letting the crew take their luggage while bidding Gran a quick good-bye before they were rushed into the train and forced to keep moving by incoming students.

They had picked the first empty compartment they saw, sitting down just five minutes before the train was set to leave. Thankfully, with the door closed, it was much quieter than outside the train.

"Finally, peace and quiet!" Audrey exclaimed, leaning back on the cozy chairs.

"Just a few more minutes!" Delilah exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as she stared out the window. Having never ridden on a train, Audrey knew her sister was just as excited for the ride there as she was to go to Hogwarts, so she had let her sister take the window seat.

"Can you see Amanda or Theodore?" Audrey asked as she watched Neville peering out the window as best he could.

"No," Delilah said. "I think I see the Weasleys, though; the twins are helping a boy onto the train. Muggle-born, it looks like."

"Can you imagine what next year is going to be like, with those two and Jessica together at Hogwarts?" Audrey asked.

"It is going to be a very rough year for the teachers, I think," Delilah giggled. Neville nodded in agreement.

The compartment door opened.

The three of them twisted around, finding a bushy haired girl with a proud stance staring at them intently.

"Hello," she said. "Can I stay here? Everywhere else seems to be full."

Delilah and Audrey looked at each other, thinking the same thing: Amanda wasn't going to show up anytime soon, so why not?

"Sure," they said together.

"Thank you!" the girl said, stepping in and taking a seat beside Neville. "I'm Hermione Granger."

"I'm Audrey Coppin," Audrey replied, relaxing as Hermione moved her attention onto Delilah, who said her name quickly.

"Are you two twins?" Hermione asked after Neville had told her his name. Audrey nodded.

"Well, actually, we're triplets," Audrey said, the second part of the sentence coming out with obvious practice. "Our sister Amanda is with our cousin."

"Really? I don't think I've ever met triplets before," Hermione spoke, her eyes brightening up like a firework. "Are you identical? You two look an awful lot alike." Audrey opened her mouth to reply, but the young witch continued on, saying, "I've met quite a few twins before, of course, but never identical. What's it like to have triplet sisters? I bet you have loads of fun together."

"It's like having your best friend with you all the time, and no, we're not identical. We just look a lot alike," Audrey answered, cutting the witch off. She was afraid Hermione would start asking the other obvious questions like who was the oldest and how much older was each of them. For extra protection, the equine Coppin diverted, "Are you a muggle-born or a half-blood?"

"Muggle-born, as you say—it was a lovely surprise when I found out. I made sure to read all the course books, of course, and I even picked up a few others just in case. One of them was about the older magical families. I haven't heard of the name Coppin before—"

"Our dad was raised by muggle-born parents," Delilah said. "Our mother was the pureblood—her name was Nott." The bushy-haired girl seemed to turn her nose up.

"I heard that family was a rich Slytherin family," she said. Not in a bratty way, but. . .well, when Audrey really thought of it, she _had_ said it in a bratty way. "I wouldn't go spreading that around—I read that the Slytherin house is notorious for raising dark witches and wizards, including the most recent one, You-Know-Who. Not a lot of people would like hearing that your family is Slytherin—"

"Our cousin's family has Slytherin parents," Audrey said, "and they're decent people."

"Oh, I'm not saying _everyone_ from Slytherin turns dark, I have just been noticing that a lot of _other_ people look down on the Slytherin house because of it. I would much rather be in a house like Gryffindor, where there are wizards like Albus Dumbledore." Delilah gave Audrey a look that she saw from the corner of her eye. A look that Audrey took to mean, _Just wait until Amanda hears this._

"Well, I think Gryffindors are loud and obnoxious," Audrey said before she could stop herself.

"Do you have Gryffindors in your family too?" Hermione asked. She didn't seem to notice Audrey's sharp tone.

"No, our sister is friends with twins who belong to a Gryffindor family," Delilah said. "We see them occasionally."

"M-my mum and dad were from Gryffindor," Neville put in at last like a mouse reaching for the cheese on the trap. "They worked for Dumbledore."

"True," Audrey agreed, having completely forgotten about that. She fidgeted, hoping Neville didn't take her comment from before to heart.

"Do you think you will get into Gryffindor?" Delilah asked.

Hermione opened her mouth just as the train gave a small lurch, inching forward as it gained speed.

"We're moving!" Delilah announced excitedly, gazing out the train with those bright green eyes. They sat in silence for a few moments as they watched the people waving from the platform.

"Do you know the history of the Hogwarts Express? I read about it in _Hogwarts, A History_ just weeks ago. There was this Minister—you know, from the Ministry of Magic . ."

And so it went.

Audrey was extremely irritated by Hermione and prayed not every muggle-born was like her. Every time she, Delilah, or Neville would speak, she would have something to say in return that was either a correction or an explanation on what they either knew, or were probably going to learn within the school year.

By the time the train was nearly halfway to Hogwarts, Audrey had taken to reading and Neville had begun shuffling around for Trevor, the toad his uncle had gifted to him after his first bout of accidental magic that occurred a few months after they had moved in. This left Delilah gazing at Hermione with glazed eyes that pleaded "help me."

". . . didn't you read our Herbology textbook? It clearly says on page eight that—"

"Oh no!" Neville exclaimed, causing the muggle-born to turn to him. Audrey stared into the box Neville had, not hearing the scuttles which usually came from it.

"What is it?" Hermione asked.

"Trevor's gone! The box was open—it must have come open when I set down the bag!" Neville said quickly. He was becoming paler by the second.

"Calm down, he's probably in the compartment," Audrey said. They quickly went through the little space that they had to sit in, and after several minutes, Neville groaned and sat down.

"This is hopeless! He could be anywhere! That compartment door has been open for _hours—"_

"We haven't been on the _train_ for hours," Hermione said with a sigh and roll of her eyes. Audrey was really, really wishing Amanda had come with them. Not only would their sister know what to say to send the girl away, but there wouldn't have been enough room for Hermione in the first place.

The witch went on, "Well, he couldn't have jumped from the train. Why don't you just ask around? I doubt anyone would forget laying eyes on a toad if they saw one." Neville nodded.

"Okay," he said, standing up. Hermione stood up after him. Neville's shoulders fell. "Oh, I can go by myself. It will be fine, really. There's no need for you to go through the trouble."

Hermione opened her mouth, but Audrey said to the muggle-born, "Let him—I bet it won't take him long to find Trevor." Hermione shrugged and sat down.

"It is strange how he keeps a toad," Hermione said after Neville had left. "I heard they are a common pet among wizards, but there are so many more _interesting_ ones. Do either of you have pets like him?" Delilah and Audrey looked to each other again. Her sister had her arms crossed, but quick as a snake, she snatched up the book Audrey had been hiding behind and began reading it.

It was her turn to deal with Hermione.

"I have an owl," Audrey answered blandly.

For the next several minutes, they talked about owls and their various functions (and the lack thereof in the case of Audrey's owl).

Finally, Hermione said, "Are you certain Neville knows what he's doing? He's been gone for a really long time."

"It's a long train," Audrey reminded the muggle-born.

"I bet he just isn't asking the right questions," Hermione said, standing. "I'm going to help him." Delilah stood up as the witch left. Audrey shot her another look and Delilah shrugged

"He _has_ been gone a really long time," her wolf sister said. "I want to at least make sure he hasn't come across Draco on his own or any of those other older years." Audrey shrugged, swiping her book off the seat next to her.

"Fine, but I'm staying here," she said firmly.

"Alright, see you," Delilah said quickly, and trotted after Hermione.

Audrey tried to read her book, but she kept getting distracted due to the regrets of not going. After all, what if something went wrong? She settled those thoughts by knowing she was here to keep anyone from stealing their compartment.

She still decided the book was too boring, so she watched countryside passing by. After a while, she set her book in her lap and watched the scenery, imagining herself in horse form racing alongside the train. She knew her speed wasn't even close to that of the train, but she could still imagine it.

* * *

Someone put a hand on her shoulder. She flinched, shooting up as her eyes sprang open.

"It's only me," Delilah said. "We're a few minutes away from Hogwarts."

"Oh," Audrey said as she felt her heart begin to slow. Thankfully, she already had her robes on. She glanced around, noticing Hermione and Neville were absent.

"They decided to continue looking for Trevor," Delilah responded to her silent question. "I thought it was rude leaving you here all alone, so I came back."

Audrey rose her eyebrows. "Or did you just want to get away from a Hermione?" she asked.

Delilah lowered her head.

"Well. . ."

"I would have done the same thing," Audrey said with a wave of her hand. She felt the train get slower and slower until it stopped, and even though there was a crowd of people outside their compartment pushing to get it out, Audrey and Delilah stayed there, chatting.

"Oh, I forgot!" she exclaimed to Audrey, who was standing. "Guess who I found!"

"Er," Audrey said, genuinely trying to think of the answer as they waited for the crowd to die down a little. "I don't know, Elena?"

"No! Harry Potter!" Delilah exclaimed.

"What? Really?" Audrey asked. "So he's here? In our year?" Delilah nodded. " _Well_? What does he look like?"

"He's very small and he had cheap glasses on, but he had the scar, I saw it! He kind of smelled like grass, too," Delilah explained.

"What did you—?" Audrey stopped, noticing the river of people outside their compartment was thinning.

"What was that?" Delilah asked.

"I'll tell you outside," Audrey said, and they went into the crowd.

Audrey's excitement soared higher and higher as they neared the exit of the train. Harry Potter was in their year! The three of them had calculated as such of course, but they also knew Gran could have gotten Harry Potter's birthday wrong, leaving him to be in Jessica's year instead. With a grin she thought, _Just wait until Jessica gets the news!_

Audrey jumped off the train and had to restrain herself from literally galloping away (she had learned just a few years ago that's not how normal people ran). Delilah jumped down behind her. Still, she quickly rushed to a spot with only a few other students, leaving Delilah to fend for herself in the insanity that was behind her.

"Audrey!"

Her gaze swirled around, flicking to as many faces as it could within a few seconds.

"Audrey, over here!"

Finally, she caught Amanda's green eyes. Behind her was Theodore—Malfoy was nowhere to be seen. Her sister caught onto the unspoken question, and answered it swiftly.

"The prat made me look bad, so I told him that if he doesn't want me telling his mum and dad what we did last summer with Mrs. Malfoy's favorite necklace, he should leave." Amanda said this all with a smirk.

Audrey began, "Where do we—?"

"But _anyway_ I met Harry Potter on the train!" Amanda exclaimed.

"I did too!" Delilah shouted excitedly. "He was amazing, wasn't he?" But Amanda's smile had vanished, and a glare was settling in her eyes.

"Well _I_ saw him first," Amanda claimed crossing her arms. Delilah's eyes narrowed.

"No, I think _I_ —"

"Firs' years, over here!" came a loud booming voice that made Audrey flinch. She spun around, seeing a giant of a man holding a lantern, calling them over.

" _That's_ Hagrid?" Audrey said aloud as she and her sisters stared. He was huge—much taller and wider than she expected.

"I thought Elena said he was only _half_ giant!" Amanda said.

"We had better get going before we're left behind," Delilah pointed out. Still staring, the three of them walked beside one another as they came to the giant. Theodore followed behind them, quiet as always.

"I bet the muggle-borns are scared out of their wits," came Draco's snobbish voice from behind them. Crabbe and Goyle were with him, and Audrey found herself stiffening up as they followed Hagrid down dark a narrow path.

Audrey wasn't necessarily afraid of or irritated with Draco, but whenever the three (or four, those few times Gran decided Jessica's usual excuse "but the Weasley's invited me over" didn't matter) of them stayed at the Nott manor, Draco would come, and it would end up a competition of who could get Amanda's attention. Usually the day ended with Draco, Theo, and Amanda doing something against the rules or just downright dangerous while Audrey and Delilah caught up with Elena, who was rather fun to be around if they were doing certain activities.

"Do you have memory loss?" Amanda asked, glancing over her shoulder. Audrey didn't dare look back.

"Don't talk to me like that here!" Draco snapped back as quietly as he could. "I could tell my father about this!"

"Or I could talk to him," Amanda said. From her peripheral vision, Audrey saw her sister flash her smirk. "He likes me."

"Amanda. . ." Theo sighed, more in warning than in anything.

"I don't have to put up with this," Draco sneered, and stormed past them to the front of the line, to which it was so dark Audrey couldn't see. She bet Amanda could, and she knew Delilah could at least smell them.

"You aren't letting Draco get away with anything today," Audrey commented.

"If he wants to be a muttering idiot to show off his family's power, fine by me, but I don't want him to be a muttering idiot around me," Amanda said, her chin high. "Especially not today."

Delilah gave an excited skip, saying afterword, "I can't believe it! We're finally almost there!"

"Shh!" hissed a student in front of them.

"No one said we had to be quiet, you know," Amanda spat back. It was true, though Audrey guessed that they—unlike she and her siblings—weren't navigating the dark, winding path they were on very well, forcing them to focus on the path rather than the awesomeness they were no doubt headed toward.

It wasn't fair, though, to say the three of them had heightened senses. They didn't, really, but after being in their animal bodies for several months, they got accustomed to using certain senses far more than a normal human. For Delilah, it was mostly her scent. For Audrey, it was her hearing. For Amanda. . .well, it depended on her mood.

It was not long before the path opened up to a lake. Across it, so magnificent even Elena's description couldn't compare, was a glorious, glittering castle standing proudly upon a cliff, the structure far larger than anything Audrey had ever seen. Gazing at it with a feeling of humbleness, she heard Hagrid give the order to get into a boat. She followed her sisters, but continued to stare at the castle. Her new home.

Neville stumbled into a boat with the three of them. When the boats started moving, Amanda nudged her and pointed without looking at where she was pointing.

"That's him—the one with the glasses and messy hair," Amanda said. Audrey peered over a few boats, first finding Ron Weasley before setting eyes on the boy next to him.

He was indeed small, but Audrey still felt her stomach clench as she stared at him. There he was, The-Boy-Who-Lived. Harry Potter. She wondered how many people would love to be where she was right now, just a few feet away from someone as famous as him.

"I see he's made friends with Ron," Audrey spoke, smiling.

"Just think about how much we'll get to see him!" Amanda said, smirking. "Think he will get into Slytherin?"

"Oh, so you approve?" Audrey asked.

"Be quiet," Amanda said back, though she was smiling.

"I always thought he would be in Gryffindor," Neville said, staring at Harry. "You know, him defeating You-Know-Who and all."

"Heads down!" Hagrid exclaimed. They all complied as the boats took them into a cave beneath the cliff. Audrey's eyes opened wide with awe as she stared around at the beautiful rock and water.

They reached a sort of rocky shore within the cave and began clamoring out one by one. Amanda, with her agility, managed to make it out first with Delilah not far behind. Audrey was slower, choosing carefully where place her feet on the slippery stones to avoid falling.

"Oy, you there!"

Audrey turned around, wondering why she was being called out. Then the half-giant asked, "Is this your toad?" and she realized as Neville lurched forward, barely staying upright, that he had been speaking to Neville instead.

They followed Hagrid up and up, finally finding grass. Audrey's shoulders relaxed, happy to see the castle in front of them. Though she stared at it, too, marveling at its size, counting just how many windows and doors she could see just before them.

"Come on, Audrey, stop falling in love with the castle and _move,"_ Amanda ordered. Audrey followed her, but couldn't help noticing that Delilah had also been counting the windows (though she counted everything, so that wasn't surprising), and Amanda had been staring at the castle too.

Hagrid led them up a flight of stairs to oak doors three times taller than Audrey _at least_ and knocked on them, sending an echoing boom from the other side.

They opened.

* * *

Audrey couldn't help but feel as if her stomach was disappearing as they waited in a small room. Everyone around her, aside from Malfoy and Amanda, were nervously moving about, fidgeting and whispering and doing everything they could to try to soothe their nerves. Audrey had begun to fiddle with a bit of her robe as her nerves came on as well.

An older woman wearing green robes had come to answer the knock on the doors. She introduced herself as Professor McGonagall, and Audrey made a mental note not to get into trouble around this professor as she brought them to the small room and explained why they were being sorted into different houses. Audrey listened, trying to find out anything new about the houses, but nothing the professor said was new.

Audrey was happy, at least, that Gran had explained the sorting for Neville, who had been scared out of his wits when Draco had lied and said they had to perform some complicating spell to be sorted. It meant she knew what was coming, and that was one less thing to be nervous about.

"Do you think people would look at me weird if I got sorted into Slytherin?" Audrey asked, gazing at Amanda, who looked as if she had done this a hundred times before.

Amanda rolled her eyes, answering, "You are not going to Slytherin."

"How do you know?" Audrey asked. It was the only house she thought fit her. "I think I'm cunning and ambitious enough. . ." Amanda opened her mouth to say something. She was interrupted, however, by Delilah, who rushed closer to them while staring at Harry Potter.

"I want to go meet him again," Delilah whispered, her eyes bright.

"I just want to _meet_ him," Audrey muttered, sour that she was the only one of them that hadn't talked to the boy-who-lived.

"Then go meet him," Amanda said simply. Audrey turned her gaze to her green-eyed sister.

"But that would be rude," Audrey said. "I bet he has been asked a million times today whether or not he's Harry Potter; there is no need for me to add to it."

Amanda scoffed. "Scaredy-cat," she said. Audrey narrowed her eyes, but before she could say something, she heard a bunch of gasps from behind them. She flinched and let out a fearful squeak simultaneously when she saw what the commotion was about.

"Elena didn't mention ghosts," Delilah said, staring at them with curious eyes.

"No, she didn't!" Audrey shrieked quietly, taking a step back. Her eyes were wide. They were silver and friendly looking, but she didn't trust them. She made sure to stay well away from them.

"Audrey, if they were harmful, you would be dead already," Amanda said. Audrey relaxed, but not completely.

Soon after the ghosts arrived, Professor McGonagall came back, shooing off the ghosts and telling all of the first years to form a line. Amanda went in front of her sisters, of course, and Audrey followed with Delilah behind her.

And Audrey thought the Entrance Hall was huge. The Great Hall was gigantic—a dark blue sky was glittering from above along with thousands of floating candles. Audrey could have stared at that all day. She had always had an affinity for the sky.

There were four tables, of course. Audrey caught Amanda eying the one of green and silver, smiling at the students who stared back. The Gryffindor table was the loudest in the room from what she could tell, so she didn't dwell on that one long. Audrey stopped when she got to the Ravenclaw table, where she saw their oldest sister staring back. Her thick, long blonde hair made her easily recognizable, but Audrey paid more attention to that lazy but beautiful smile on her face. As always, that smile made Audrey relax a little, which she needed. The number of eyes on her had spiked her nervousness.

Professor McGonagall soon brought out a stool and the notorious hat. Audrey grew worried, feeling her skin heat up as Amanda smiled at the Sorting Hat, leaning over to Audrey and whispering, "I dare it to _not_ put me in Slytherin."

But Audrey didn't acknowledge she had spoken. She was too busy looking into the crowd, which greeted her with blank gazes.

The hat began to sing, which made Audrey turn her head. It was an aspect of the sorting Elena had failed to mention. The song was neat, nevertheless. It was a lively tune, and with the excitement and nervous rummaging about within her, she began to bounce along with it. Delilah caught on at the end and did the same.

Finally, Professor McGonagall came forward with parchment and said, "When I call your name, please put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted."

"I hope I don't trip. . ." Delilah said.

"That would be so embarrassing. . ." Audrey said automatically, her mind somewhere else. There were just so many people staring. . .

"Abbott, Hannah!" the professor called out. A short girl in very obvious pigtails went forward.

A moment later, the hat shouted out, "HUFFLEPUFF!"

A girl named Susan Bones was next, then Boot, and Bulstrode. . . _Just how many people have a last name that starts with B?_ Audrey asked herself.

Her eyes wandered behind her, where the professors were, and they caught the gaze of Severus Snape. She turned around, snapping her attention back to the four tables hoping the potions master hadn't seen her staring at him. Audrey had met the man many times. He seemed to be around about every other time they went to their aunt and uncle's home, the Notts'. Suffice to say, Audrey made sure to read far enough ahead in her Potions textbook to be able to answer any questions he would ask on the first couple of days just in case he called on her.

"Coppin, Amanda!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

Just hearing her last name made Audrey startle. She calmed down a bit as Amanda strutted over to the stool and put the hat on her head.

She expected the hat's answer, but still listened. There was silence in the hall for about twenty seconds before—

"SLYTHERIN!" it announced. The Slytherin house erupted in cheers, proudly approving of Amanda as she took off the hat and put on her best grin. She strolled down to the Slytherin house with enough confidence to leave Audrey to wonder how she was even related to her.

"Coppin, Audrey!" shouted McGonagall. Audrey's throat tightened as her muscles seized. Just as the three of them had guessed, she heard curious whispering among the other whispers from students who could care less about the sorting. It wasn't too obvious, but twins were still unique. It meant more eyes were on her, though. Oh, Merlin, did she not envy Delilah.

The walk up to the stool was in slow motion, and she quickly fixed her gaze on it, attempting to ignore everyone else in the hall. Then she sat down and put on the hat.

 _Interesting. . .very interesting. I see intelligence. A yearning to learn and experience the world. . .But there is loyalty too. Strong loyalty and an appreciation for hard work. Which one, which one? Hmm. . .I think encouraging your intellect will do more for you. Better be—_

"RAVENCLAW!"

The table wearing Audrey's favorite color erupted just like the Slytherins had done for Amanda. Audrey, who had listened to the hat with confusion, dazedly set the hat down on the stool and hurried over to the table beckoning her over.

"Congratulations!" called out one of the older students.

"Welcome," said another as she passed.

Audrey wondered if the friendliness of everyone had to do with Elena, as she knew her older sister was at least known by name within the Ravenclaw house. Distantly she also wondered if it had to do with their father—if he had done anything special when he was in Ravenclaw. She threw that thought away as soon as it had come.

She muttered quick 'thank you's to as many people as she could and pushed herself through the crowd to Elena, who smiled excitedly.

"Great job. Welcome to Ravenclaw," she said as Audrey sat down, trying to avoid the commotion while settling in.

"So is _this_ one of those sisters you keep talking about?" asked a friend of Elena's in the background.

The hall quieted just as Professor McGonagall shouted, "Coppin, Delilah!"

Yes, Audrey really didn't envy Delilah.

Just with every large gathering, you couldn't count on everyone to pay attention, but as soon as McGonagall said those words, almost everyone lifted their heads to see if what they had heard had been right. It happened just as Amanda, Delilah, and Audrey had talked about, dreaded, and partly hoped for as whispers grew steadily louder and questioning eyes flashed across the room to check just how alike the three sisters looked.

" _Another_ Coppin?" she heard someone say.

"One of them _has_ to be a cousin," she heard another say.

"Are they triplets?" someone else asked.

Delilah nervously stepped forward, giving a very concentrated stare as she sat on the stool and put the hat on. One second. Two second. Three—

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

 _And people think we're identical,_ Audrey thought as Delilah set the hat down gently and made her way to the Hufflepuff table. Delilah's new house cheered more than Ravenclaw and Slytherin combined, as if everyone truly did want to welcome their new member instead of it just being a formality like it seemed to be for most everyone else.

Several more people were called. Audrey had no need to pay attention just then—L was a long way from C. So, Audrey took to watching her sisters, frowning as she realized just how much they would be apart. They would no longer be just in the next bedroom. They would no longer be eating at the same table for meals. They would have different friends, be in different classes (for the most part). But she knew they would still find time for each other. They had promised as such last night right before Delilah had fallen asleep snoring.

"Longbottom, Neville!" came Professor McGonagall's voice. Audrey's attention snapped back to the sorting as Neville stumbled over to the stool. It took just a bit longer than Delilah's sorting.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted. Audrey blinked, taking a few seconds to process the information before she clapped. She had been expecting him to join Delilah or maybe surprise her and come to Ravenclaw with her, but she never considered Gryffindor. He was way too nervous all the time. Yet there he was, stumbling over to the Weasley family, the only people in the Gryffindor house he knew.

Draco's name was called up next, and the entire Slytherin table seemed to be paying close attention to him as he swaggered over like he owned the place. In seconds, the hat had bellowed out the Slytherin house and Draco leisurely strolled over to Amanda.

It was Theo's turn soon. Audrey was curious about where he would go, because although he had always said he would be in Slytherin, she had found that he wasn't stuck up enough to be like Draco or prideful enough to be like Amanda.

Her cousin took forever. It might have been the anticipation, but after a long time, the hat shouted out, "SLYTHERIN!" Theodore's concentrated frown flipped into a smile. He walked straight to Amanda, sitting on the other side of her.

"That's odd," Elena said.

"What is?" Audrey asked.

"His house. I always thought he was more of a Ravenclaw than a Slytherin," her older sister said, without looking to her. Audrey watched Theodore too, a little more perplexed than before. Elena, after all, was usually never wrong when it came to personality and the fact that she lived with Theo's family meant he was more of a brother to her than she was a sister to them. This made Audrey curious about the conversation the hat had had with the Nott.

So they went on watching. Audrey was surprised there was also a pair of twins in the mix, though she scowled when they too were separated into two different houses. _There's_ three _of us that got into different houses,_ she thought waspishly.

"Potter, Harry!" McGonagall shouted.

Audrey focused then. Even though she had seen him in the boats, it had been dark. Now it was not. He was nervous, she could tell that much by his shaking hands. But she got a sense of strength when she stared at him. It was like the feeling she got when she stood next to Amanda, the feeling that she didn't have anything to worry about.

"So he's in your year after all," Elena said.

"I know, isn't it wonderful?" Audrey asked. "I'm going to have actual classes with him!"

The story of the Boy-Who-Lived had interested Audrey from a young age. Gran had told them about it when they were young, and they had asked to hear the story almost every night after that until they were old enough to no longer need bedtime stories.

"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed, and the house of lions roared. The Weasley twins—the only two Weasley's she really knew—kept yelling that they had Potter, and louder than the cheers, Audrey heard the disappointed sighs and gestures around her own house. She herself was a little jealous as she saw Harry stride over to the other first years, namely Neville.

"Too bad," Elena commented as she looked to Audrey with eyes that were Ravenclaw blue. "Having Harry Potter in our house would have given Ravenclaw something to be proud of other than our marks."

A few more went until Audrey caught the face of a boy she had recently seen in a short article in the _Daily Prophet._ "Smith, Zacharias!"

"He was declared the Hufflepuff Heir not too long ago, wasn't he?" Audrey whispered to Elena.

"Yes," she said. "One of the only ones left, from what I read."

It was no surprise that he went to Hufflepuff, though he looked about as happy about it as Gran was when she caught Jessica trying to lock pick the door to the forbidden room back home.

From there, Audrey didn't know anyone who was left to be sorted. She knew _of_ Ron Weasley (who ended up being a Gryffindor) but she had seen him only a couple of times and had only really spoken to him in passing when the family came over to pick up the twins once.

Finally, after Dumbledore spouted out a few truly mad words, food appeared on the table. Audrey put her favorites on her plate, amazed at how much there actually was. She was careful to only take the portions she saw others taking, however.

"So this is your sister?" asked a student on the other side of the table. He looked to be a third or fourth year, which made Audrey look at her plate as she ate. "Welcome to Ravenclaw!"

"Thank you," Audrey said through bites, glancing over. Really, couldn't everyone see she was eating?

"Did you think you were going here or did you consider some other house?" the student asked. Audrey shrugged, setting her fork down as she realized he wasn't going away.

"I wouldn't have minded Slytherin," Audrey said a bit of the disappoint from earlier showing through. The student's smile faltered as he sat up straighter. He gave a quick glance to Elena, as if looking to see if he had caught that, and by the look her big sister gave, Audrey knew that Elena had seen it and unconsciously stared him down for it. After all, no one wanted to be on the receiving end of one of Elena's condescending gazes.

Audrey should have expected that reaction. Elena had told her before the summer ended that even the Ravenclaws, who were logical enough to see past biases for the most part, were still wary of all Slytherins despite how utterly ridiculous it was. Audrey doubted many students of her year, who had grown up hearing about the horrors of You-Know-Who, really _wanted_ to go into Slytherin besides those with Slytherin parents. After growing up with Theo, Draco, and Amanda, though, Audrey didn't really mind Slytherin at all.

To break the silence, the student retreated from the conversation by saying, "Well, if you're anything like Elena, everyone in your year better watch out."

Audrey laughed slightly. _Great,_ she thought as Elena glanced at her. _They have expectations._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

See? Much longer than 1,500 words!

And yes, Gryffindor is not going to get represented by a sibling this year. Poor Gryffindor. I actually don't feel too terribly sorry for them because, well, _Harry Potter_ , and it gives Neville more of a spotlight.

In the next few chapter I'll get more into all the different houses. For now just enjoy this little sneak peak into Ravenclaw.


	3. Chapter 2

Amanda was finally where she belonged. She was grinning as she listened, placing herself into conversation when needed but still paying attention to everyone else. There was talk of quidditch and rumors of outlandish tales—the normal chatting. It was as if they were all best friends. Through it all, however, she noticed several glances thrown at her and the other the first years.

Then the conversation finally turned to family.

"So, Draco Malfoy," spoke an older student. The prefect, Amanda realized as she saw his badge. "You're Lucius Malfoy's son? I was wondering when a Malfoy would return to Hogwarts."

"I bet he asked around about when Draco was born and marked this date on his calendar," Amanda whispered to Theodore as Draco responded. Theo smiled.

"And you're a Nott, right?" asked Blaise Zabini. "Pureblood?"

"That's what I was told," Theo answered dryly. Some of their fellow first years laughed along with them.

"I see you are good friends with this. . .Coppin, too," the prefect went on. He was careful not to say the word too harshly, though. "But you mentioned Arisio during the Sorting. . .You wouldn't happen to be related to Anthony Arisio and his daughter, Arianna?" Amanda nodded, pride filling her chest as she felt more eyes on her.

"Arianna was my grandmother—Adrianna was my mother," Amanda answered.

"You can't be serious," came Pansy Parkinson. "That would make you an heir of Slytherin." Amanda grinned wolfishly as she noticed others around the table turning in her direction. A lot of others.

"How did you guess?" she said, conveniently moving the hand which held the Arisio family ring. Those paying attention only risked a glance at the heirloom Amanda had found in a box of her mother's things. She would have put it on just because it was pretty, even if Snape hadn't explained what it was.

"Can you do it?" someone further down the table asked. "Speak to snakes?"

"Yes," Amanda answered. Pansy gasped, but Millicent eyed her.

"Prove it," she said.

"I can't," she answered, staring straight back.

"Why not?" asked the prefect.

"There isn't a snake here to speak to," she answered. "If I started talking parseltongue, I would just be speaking nonsense to you—it wouldn't prove anything." No one really had anything to say to that.

"I have a question," a prefect said, making Amanda gaze at him. "You talked about your mother in past tense. Does that mean you were raised by a muggleborn?"

 _Alright, so they know the name Coppin from the war stories, then,_ Amanda figured. Snape hadn't been wrong about the Slytherin ability to figure things like that out quickly.

"Of course not," Amanda scoffed, trying her best to look somewhere between offended and exasperated. "My father left the day my mother died. I was raised by the Longbottom family, although I spend most of the time at Draco's or Theo's house." Mostly a lie. Gran only let them go about once every two weeks unless holidays were involved, but neither Draco nor Theodore corrected her.

Blaise looked pleased as he said, "I'm a pureblood myself. Though not all of my family is from Britain. You see, my grandmother. . ."

And so began the contest of who had the strongest pureblood family. Amanda didn't much pay attention, having gone over all the important family names a hundred times when she was over at Draco's. Lucius had insisted she know them, and it seemed this was the reason why.

By the time dessert came, the conversation had gone on to what they would expect during classes. Unfortunately, Amanda wasn't really interested in that either, so she watched her sisters instead. Audrey was talking with Elena, probably about some creative idea she had, while Delilah was eating her food, looking quite alone. Every once and a while Amanda would catch her speaking, but not often.

"Can your sisters speak to snakes too?" Blaise asked, following her gaze.

"No, only I can," Amanda said. "Hence me being the only one in Slytherin."

"Too bad," said Pansy. "It would have been amazing to have triplets in our house. Especially triplets related to Slytherin." The others listened for Amanda to correct her. When she didn't, she answered the question: she was, in fact, a triplet.

It was an odd anomaly, them not being able to speak to snakes. Snape had written it off as something to do with their father's curse and the fact their mother chose Amanda to inherit all there was to inherit from the Slytherin line. Amanda believed it had something to do with the fact both Delilah and Audrey didn't even know they were related to one of the Founders of Hogwarts.

Albus Dumbledore stood up. He spoke of just the mundane things; when quidditch trials were to be held and the things Elena had warned them about—no magic in the halls, and no forbidden forest.

Then the Headmaster said, "And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death."

Amanda glanced to Audrey, who had glanced at her. _Don't even think about it,_ Audrey was basically saying. Amanda smirked. _I'm thinking about it._

And then there was the Hogwarts song. Amanda tried singing along just for the sake of doing what everyone else was doing, but it was truly hard to sing with everyone on a different note at a different time with a different tune. Suddenly, she was very much hating those music lessons Mrs. Nott had taught her.

Finally, after the Weasley twins made a show of being the very last two people singing, the Headmaster sent them off to bed, and boy was Amanda ready for it. She realized now why Gran had sent them to bed so early the night before.

Down to the dungeons they went. It was cold, sure, but the closer they got, the more Amanda felt at home. Especially as the got to the stone wall to which the prefect she had sat close to said the password. A passageway slid open and Amanda grinned.

"As a rule you should remember," said the prefect, "you are to repeat that password to no one. All students from the other houses are banned from our Common Room. Only Slytherins are allowed here."

Amanda's eyes narrowed. A part of her had expected as much, but she still felt her shoulders fall as her hopes of being able to show off her sisters faded.

They went in. Amanda frown reversed itself as she saw the rounded green lanterns and the giant serpent portrait above the fireplace. Though the common room inhabitants were loud, she could still hear the swishing of waves where the Black Lake licked the land.

Her new home.

They went to the dormitory they were directed to, and Amanda found herself leading the way. Inside the square room, the four-poster beds (with an insane amount of very cozy looking blankets) bordered the two walls opposite the door in the corner. When she got to the bed where her stuff was, she was pleased she was in the center corner of the lines of beds.

It didn't take long for her to pull on her pajamas and slip into the layers of blankets. She was warm, and as she closed her eyes, she expected to go to sleep immediately.

She didn't. Perhaps it was because this wasn't her bed and she was sleeping in a room full of strangers, but she tossed and turned for what seemed like hours despite the fact she felt tired.

Eventually, she went to sleep.

* * *

Amanda picked at her bacon the next morning, not feeling hungry at all as she watched Delilah and Audrey sit together at the Ravenclaw table. Amanda was aware that they both kept looking at her as a silent invitation, but she knew better. There were still too many eyes on her and too many judgements being made for her to slip away at that moment. At least, that's what she thought.

"Miss Coppin, need I remind you that bacon is for eating?" said her Head of House as he strode up, a piece of paper in his hands. _So he did notice I got sorted last night,_ she thought as she rose her head and gazed at him.

"I'm not that hungry," she announced.

"So it seems," he said, handing her the paper.

"What's this?" she asked.

"An answer to your guardian's inquiry," Severus Snape answered. "Read it through and come to me with any questions." Then he left.

"Why couldn't he have just sent an owl?" asked Pansy as Amanda began to read through it.

"It's too important for that," Amanda said. She gave the girl a smirk. "Heir of Slytherin stuff, you know."

Amanda quickly read over the words, careful to make sure no one else was reading along with her.

 _Dear Miss Amanda Coppin,_

 _As you know, your guardian, Augusta Longbottom, wrote to me a few months ago regarding your unique ability passed down by a curse on your father's family. If I remember correctly from the letter, you are used to having free reign with this ability. However, per request of your grandmother, I will have to ask that you refrain from using your ability while at Hogwarts. This has been decided to further protect your younger sister as it was also decided to keep her lycanthropy a secret._

 _However, as your guardian has told me, I understand using your abilities is sometimes relaxing and necessary under extreme pressure. For this reason, I am allowing you and your sisters to use your ability for a few hours when absolutely necessary under the supervision of a teacher. You will still be restricted to the Hogwarts grounds and are under no circumstances allowed in the Forbidden Forest._

 _Please also note that changes to these terms may be made when your youngest sister arrives at Hogwarts._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_

Amanda frowned, glancing up to her sisters, who were reading the same letter. She crumpled it up and shoved it into her school bag before continuing to pick at her bacon. She had hoped that her form being a very small, albeit venomous snake would allow her to do whatever she liked, but it seemed the Headmaster was keeping things fair.

Her mood worsened throughout the week. The Gryffindors weren't with the Slytherins at all except for Potions, which was scheduled for the end of the week. Meeting Harry Potter again would have to wait.

So, the first part of the week was just school and homework. Even though she shared a lot of classes with the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs, she didn't get to sit near her sisters because it seemed like Pansy and Millicent always managed to sit themselves next to her, and Theo and Draco were not far away. Amanda would normally just shoo them all off, but Theodore had warned her against it.

"You have to make friends, remember?" he had reminded her, repeating both Draco and his father's not-so-subtle suggestion. Nevertheless, Amanda understood and just let the two Slytherin girls do as they liked for the time being.

Not that her sisters seemed to mind. Audrey had her nose in a book even at the Ravenclaw table, and Amanda only saw Delilah during classes, to which her wolf sister was almost always late.

Another thing that worsened her mood was the yellowed parchment note she kept in her pocket with her mother's handwriting. Amanda had been itching to follow the directions on that note for years, but had absolutely no time to. Classes took up most of the day and homework took up the rest. Professor McGonagall, for example, seemed to think it necessary for them to start a pile of homework immediately.

The only two things to keep her going were the coming Potions class and her plan, which required Neville's help. So when she walked past the library isles and found the Gryffindor with both her sisters, she floated over and sat down.

"Finally decided we're worthy enough for you?" Audrey muttered as she took notes on a textbook she was reading from.

"Looks like you're in a good mood," Amanda commented.

"I'm stressed," Audrey barked back. "And you would be too if you had to deal with being a Ravenclaw. Did you know Elena has finished all of her Hogwarts years in the top three of her year?"

"You Ravenclaws keep track of that?" Amanda asked.

"Every year has their own board next to the announcements that moves when something is graded," Audrey muttered, "and it's on full display for everyone to see."

"Where are you?" Amanda asked curiously.

"Nothing has been graded yet, so it's blank right now," Audrey explained, "but I bet Elena will be at least near the top, which means everyone is expecting me to be too."

"How have you been, Amanda?" Delilah asked out of courtesy.

"Busy," Amanda answered. "Haven't even got a class with Harry Potter yet."

"I have!" Delilah exclaimed with a wide grin on her face. "He isn't as smart as that other Gryffindor, Hermione Granger, and he keeps showing up a little late to some classes. . ."

"You're one to talk," Amanda said. "I don't think you've shown up on time since classes began!" Delilah's head lowered.

"Well, I'm not used to so many smells. I keep trying to just follow people, but I never end up in the right wing. . ." Delilah responded mournfully.

"I'm just teasing," Amanda consoled her sister. Then she turned to Neville, who was doing some homework by the look of it.

"What about you? What's it like being in the same house with Harry Potter?" Amanda asked. Neville looked up.

"Er, he doesn't talk to me much," Neville said. "He's really normal. . ."

"Does he ever hang out in the common room? It would be nice if we could go to the Gryffindor common room and meet him," Amanda went on.

"You've already met him," Delilah pointed out.

"I meant officially, stupid—not with Draco stealing all my thunder with his attitude," Amanda spoke. Then she went back to Neville.

"I think he does his homework in there sometimes," Neville answered. He seemed hesitant since, for once, all of them had their attention on him.

"Perfect, what's the password?" Amanda asked.

"Er—"

"You have passwords?" Delilah asked. "I just have to tap something like the bricks at Diagon Alley."

"At least you don't have to worry about knowing the answer to a ridiculous riddle," Audrey muttered.

"Ravenclaw just keeps getting better and better," Amanda said sarcastically.

"What's your password?" Delilah asked.

Amanda sighed. "I'm not allowed to tell you," she responded.

"Some of that Slytherin pride again?" Audrey drawled from her book.

"Anyone that's not a Slytherin isn't allowed in the common room," she said. " _Anyway_ , Neville, what's _your_ password?"

"Er, it's supposed to change, but right now it's 'Caput Draconis' but I don't think you're allowed unless a Gryffindor is with—"

"I'll let you know in advance," Amanda interrupted. Then she looked around. "Hey, is this the only time all of us are out of class together?"

"Seems like it," Delilah answered.

"We should meet here, then," Amanda said. "I've been lonely. And don't say anything about me not going over to the Ravenclaw table," Amanda snapped as she saw Audrey open her mouth.

"Whatever you say," Audrey mumbled, still reading.

The rest of the hour they spent arguing over who had the worst schedule and course load, despite everyone having the same classes. Neville ended up having the worse time of it as Professor McGonagall had assigned him a bit of extra work after he somehow misremembered the transfiguration basic they were working on.

"Oh look at that," Amanda said, glancing at the clock. "It's time for potions."

"I heard from Ron that Professor Snape _hates_ Gryffindors," Neville groaned.

"Yes, he does," Amanda responded blithely, standing up.

That did not help Neville's nervousness. He tripped several times on the way over there, contesting even Delilah's clumsiness. Amanda tried to stand far enough away from him to look like she was just walking near him instead of with him.

The class itself started out weird. Amanda sat by Theodore as Draco was annoying her by staying next to Crabbe and Goyle that day. Neville had been less than pleased with her abandonment and sat by a Gryffindor boy who was called Seamus, as she found out during roll call.

And then Snape got to Harry's name.

Amanda hadn't expected much from Snape as she knew he wasn't a very lively person, especially when it came to famous people, but right off he called Harry a celebrity, sneering at the Boy-Who-Lived like he would Amanda when she was being particularly troublesome and disorderly.

After the roll call, it got worse. Snape called on Harry and asked him for some ridiculous answer to a question Amanda barely knew. Hermione Granger's hand shot straight up, however, and Harry Potter admitted he had no clue. This went on and on until Harry got smart.

"I don't know, sir," he said. "But I think Hermione does. Why don't you try her?"

Not a good idea on Harry's part. By the end of it, Snape had an awful scowl on his face and a point had been taken from Gryffindor.

Amanda could have let a simple incident like that go—Harry _had_ spoken rudely, which was lesson number one when working with Snape. Then the other incident happened. Apparently Neville had added quills at the wrong time and caused the potion to explode. Snape blamed Harry for not telling Neville and had taken another point. That was unfair.

"You shouldn't dwell on it," Theodore told her as they packed up their things to leave an hour later. "He just picked his least favorite student."

Amanda, of course, paid no heed to Theodore's warning and stayed as the other students filed out. Before long, she was alone, lingering with her school bag in tow as Snape sat at his desk with papers, writing on them.

"Is there something you wanted, Miss Coppin?" Snape asked, not looking up from those papers. She either rethought her words or found something unpleasant in his voice because talking to him about why he hated Harry seemed like a really bad idea all of a sudden.

"No, I was just daydreaming, sir," Amanda said, and turned around, but stopped dead as she heard her teacher's voice.

"I never thought I would see the day Amanda Coppin held her tongue," Professor Snape mused, still writing.

"It wasn't that important," she said, turning to face him again.

"And it wasn't any your business," Snape said. "Now get out. I have work to do."

Amanda strode out of the room as she heard the scratching of a quill, believing as soon as she walked past the doorway that Severus Snape knew exactly why she had stayed after class.

* * *

Amanda decided after that conversation she needed a bit of fun that included discreetly breaking a few rules. It also included paying a visit to the Gryffindor Tower.

As soon as the Slytherin Heir started her way up the stairs, she made herself thank Merlin she was not a Gryffindor. There were seemingly a million steps to get there and she knew she would be sore the day after.

As Amanda went up the last few steps and strode toward the portrait of the Fat Lady just as Neville described, she was very glad it was late in the evening. At such a late hour, not many were traveling to or from the common room, so she had to pass a lot less people. Not that Amanda wasn't prepared—she had at least three cover stories she had made up on her way there.

"Aren't you a Slytherin?" asked the Fat Lady.

"I came to see a friend," Amanda lied. "Neville Longbottom. Maybe you've seen him? He wanted help with his potions homework." The Fat Lady stared at her with her nose up.

"Well do you know the password?" she asked, and Amanda recited it. "Hmm." The portrait opened, revealing the passage way behind it.

She transformed within the passage way, finding herself in her scaly skin within seconds. Keeping to the darkness, Amanda managed to slither her way to the Common room, stopping where the darkness did.

And she thought the Slytherins liked to live lavishly. Everything about the Gryffindor common room—from the gold everywhere and the crimson curtains and the squishy arm chairs to the warm fire—looked rather inviting to her.

Amanda went forward once she saw no one was watching and went under some piece of furniture, coiling up tight to avoid detection. There were only a few people in the common room (she thanked Merlin once again), and it must have been her lucky day, for Harry and Ron were stumbling through their homework in an a few seats just feet away from her.

". . .think they believe we don't have any other classes. . ."

"Is the answer to put those bits in first or last?" asked Harry.

"I dunno, look it up. . ."

Amanda listened for quite some time. Ron was less than interesting, though occasionally he cracked a funny joke. Harry, however, was rather unique. From what he was talking about while he did his homework, he didn't seem to know a whole lot about magic, but Amanda could tell there was a desire to learn. To prove himself.

 _Maybe you did belong in Slytherin,_ Amanda thought to herself. That would have been amusing, especially with how Snape acted with him. She wondered only for a second if that was why her mentor hated Harry—that he hadn't gotten into Slytherin. That consideration was washed away quickly, though. She was rather certain the hatred had to do with something much deeper.

Light suddenly engulfed her. A yell erupted from Ron as Amanda glanced upward and saw a wide-eyed Gryffindor holding up the furniture she had been using as her hidey-hole.

"SNAKE!" Ron shouted. He and Harry and brought their legs up onto their chairs as the older student in the room took out her wand and pointed it at Amanda, who did the most logical thing in her situation.

She rose up and hissed as loudly as she could.

" _Stop!"_ hissed Harry. Amanda's eyes snapped to him.

 _That was Parseltongue,_ she thought.

"Let me take care of this," muttered an older student. Amanda caught the movement out of the corner of her eye, and struck with as much venom as she could.

"Ouch!" hissed the student. Percy Weasley. _Oh, Merlin, I am in so much trouble,_ she thought as the prefect slowly fell to the ground.

"Percy!" shouted Ron.

" _Stop!"_ repeated Harry, keeping a hand over Ron to keep him from going to his brother. " _Stop it!"_ Yep. Definitely Parseltongue.

" _Can you understand me?"_ Amanda asked, letting herself settle into a defensive position rather than an offensive one.

" _Y-yes, I think I can,"_ Harry answered, relaxing. He wasn't as shocked as she thought he'd be. _"A-and you understand me?"_

 _"_ _I do. You're a Parselmouth."_ Amanda said.

" _What's that?"_ Harry asked.

 _"_ _Let me out and I will explain things,"_ Amanda told him, trying to act as snake-like as possible.

" _Who let you in here?"_ Harry asked. She heard footsteps coming from where she assumed the dormitories were.

 _"_ _Let me out, and I will find the other Parselmouth. She will explain it to you,"_ Amanda said, thinking quickly. _"Please, let me out. I do not want to be here."_

 _"_ _Okay,"_ Harry said.

"It's a snake!" shouted a first year girl who had come down the stairs. More were coming as Harry rushed to the portrait and held it open. Amanda quickly slithered away, hoping and praying she was moving fast enough were the students would not be able to describe her perfectly.

" _Thank you, human,"_ she said as she passed. Oh this was so much more fun than she had thought it would be. " _The other one will speak to you tomorrow."_

Then she slithered away, coming up with a hundred different epic ways to introduce her new Parselmouth to the Chamber of Secrets.

* * *

Amanda had started a war.

The next morning, she went to the breakfast table with her head buzzing with excitement. Almost immediately, however, a fight between some older Slytherin and older Gryffindors had to be broken up. She knew what it was about as soon as she saw who the Gryffindors were: Fred and George Weasley.

Apparently, despite Percy being completely alright, the Gryffindors were enraged about the snake that had appeared in their common room the night before and accused the Slytherins for setting it loose. When she glanced over at the Professor's table, she saw Snape glaring at her, and Dumbledore didn't seem very pleased either.

Thankfully, neither of them made any attempts to talk to her or punish her right away, so she hurried up in eating her breakfast before leaving for her first class.

The tensions didn't fade during her first class. Points were being taken all over the place for arguing and fighting, and whenever she passed a Gryffindor there was either whispering or muttering and the occasional outright accusation. It didn't really bother her since it was true and it was hilarious to watch everyone else squabble.

After badgering Neville for his schedule after her first class, Amanda found a break both she and Harry had. She decided it would best to meet sooner rather than later, so she wrote down a note that read:

 _Meet me here tomorrow afternoon, and I will explain what happened last night. If anyone asks questions, don't tell them about me._

\- _Parselmouth_

Then she hurried into the Owlery and searched for her sister's owl. After about ten seconds, she gave up and found Hedwig.

"Bring this to Harry," Amanda ordered, giving her the note.

She had a grin on her face the entirety of that day. There was another Parselmouth at the school. She wouldn't have to keep the secret alone. She would have someone to share her inheritance with, someone who could help discover the surprises waiting for her in the Chamber her ancestor had left her.

This year was going to be so much more fun than she had thought.

* * *

The next day, Pansy had sat next to her during one of her classes as normal and asked if she was the culprit.

"Maybe," Amanda said with a smirk.

"It only makes sense!" Pansy exclaimed. "You are the only one who would know a Gryffindor well enough to get the password, and all you had to do to get it in the common room was order it with your Parseltongue! You didn't even have to be in the castle to do it!" Amanda wasn't certain she liked the idea of it being that easy to figure out. The Slytherins weren't too happy about being wrongly accused and would not be pleased if they found out who actually did it. Still, no one else came up to her about it, so she decided the rest of the Slytherin house was smart enough to know the consequences of accusing the Slytherin Heir or telling a teacher about it.

Other than those thoughts keeping her busy, Amanda was basically playing hide-and-run with Professor Snape, whom she somehow managed to avoid all day despite the fact he was looking for her.

Harry ended up being late. She paced next to the famous bathroom which, now that she had peeked in side it, didn't look like an entrance to the Chamber of Secrets at all.

"Aren't you the one that was with Malfoy?"

Amanda turned around, facing her new Parselmouth friend.

"Amanda Coppin, yes," Amanda explained. "Sorry about the train—Draco likes the think he owns the place. Now, about last night. How's Percy?" Harry blinked.

"Er, Ron told me he woke up yesterday evening," Harry said. "What did that snake do to him?" Amanda shrugged.

"It was a paralytic venom, but I knew he wasn't bit with enough to cause any lasting side effects," Amanda told him.

"Because you're a Parselmouth?" Harry asked. Amanda nodded.

"That, among other things," she said. "You are too, apparently." He seemed to pale at the thought.

"What is it? What does it mean?" Harry asked. He looked disgusted at the thought of it all.

Amanda sighed. "What did Ron tell you?"

"He told me only Slytherin and his heirs could do that, and it's seen as a really bad sign," Harry answered.

"Well, yeah, if you think all Slytherins are evil," Amanda said.

"A lot of them are," Harry argued. "I mean, it was you who let that snake loose in the Gryffindor Common room, wasn't it?" Amanda smiled.

"Technically, that wasn't my fault," Amanda said. Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What? Then who did it?" Harry asked.

 _I was hoping to avoid this, but I don't want to stand here all day._

She transformed. Harry jumped, his eyes a bit wide as she rose her head and stared at him with her reptilian eyes.

" _I was just trying to see you, Harry—I was hoping to just see you and then leave, but that kid raised up the furniture and I reacted,"_ Amanda said. _"I didn't mean to hurt anyone."_

" _What are you?"_ Harry asked. Amanda transformed back into her human form, brushing off her robes.

"It is a thing my father passed down to me," Amanda said. "But no one can know about it, understand? If any of the teachers find out I've told you, they will expel me."

"Am I going to be able to turn into one?" Harry asked. He seemed a bit terrified of this.

"Oh, no—my _mother_ was the Slytherin Heir before me. My dad was just a really weird muggle-born," Amanda explained. That wasn't strictly true. Considering Adrianna would most likely never married anything but a pureblood and Snape had told her Andrew Coppin was not the first person with the curse, everyone was quite sure he was at least a halfblood. It was just easier with Jessica's secret and lack of any birth certificate whatsoever to just say he was a muggleborn. "Now let's get going! We don't have all day, after all." She went into the bathroom. Harry stayed where he was.

"What?" she asked.

"It's a girl's bathroom," he said.

"So? No one's used it for decades," Amanda told him. "And there's no one to see you in it anyway." Harry glanced down the hallways before dashing into the room.

"Where are we going?" he asked as she led him to the sinks. She carefully looked over them all, finding the sink that the note described. She turned it on. Nothing came out.

"It's somewhere that only Slytherin heirs can go," she said. Then she stood up straight and pointed at the sink. "Speak to it."

"How?" he asked. She shrugged.

"Just start speaking Parseltongue," she said. He hesitated, and because she was impatient, she turned toward the sink and said in Parseltongue, " _Open."_

The sink began to sink (pun intended) into the ground until eventually, there was no sink at all. Amanda walked forward, seeing the pipe large enough for both her and Harry to go down together.

"See?" she said.

"Are we going down there?" Harry asked. It was a little daunting, Amanda admitted, as she could not see the bottom. But her excitement overran her fear.

She hopped in.

It seemed to go on forever before her feet found solid ground. She darted out of the way, a grin spreading on her face as she glanced around the green-hued corridor.

"Amanda?" an echo reached out to her.

"I'm fine!" she called back up the pipe. "Come on! Are you a Gryffindor or not?!"

Seconds later, she heard yelling. Closer and closer it came until Harry stumbled out from the pipe, finding his feet at the last second and breathing.

"What is this place?" he asked after he stood up and took it all in. There were a few other pipes leading to other directions, but only one corridor, and it was cleaner than the pipes.

"It's called the Chamber of Secrets," Amanda said. She marched forward, having memorized the note in her pocket enough to know it was the corridor she had to go through.

"Why is it here? What is it used for?" Harry asked, following after her.

"Long story short, the founders of the houses pretty much hated each other, but Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff hated Slytherin the most. It was basically because he only wanted purebloods in the school, which made sense at the time. But anyway, he disappeared down here and built this chamber. No one but Slytherin Heirs know how to find it."

There was a moment of just the echoing sound of their footsteps. Then Harry asked, "So I'm a descendent of Slytherin?"

"You must be—it's the only way to be a Parselmouth," she answered. He sighed.

"So I should have gotten into Slytherin, then," he said, as if that answered all of life's problems.

"Just because you're related doesn't mean you belong there," Amanda pointed out. "Just look at my sisters. They're technically related too but they aren't in Slytherin."

After opening another door with her Parseltongue, Amanda led Harry through the final corridor. She paused as she walked through, marveling at the huge statue at the opposite end. It felt like the Slytherin common room, but regal. And though the common room was her place at Hogwarts, this felt like her bedroom at home.

This was _hers._

"Now what?" Harry asked. Amanda didn't say anything. She just stared at the statue.

She knew what came next. She knew, but hesitated, because she had waited so long already. Ever since Gran gave her the box of her mother's things. Ever since she had found the note. . .

" _I have returned, King of Snakes!"_ she announced, just as the note had told her. The mouth of the statue before her opened, and out came a snake that could have eaten both Harry and Amanda whole. It slithered out with averted eyes, stopping just inches away from Amanda.

" _An heir has returned,"_ it said. He said, sniffing.

" _Two,"_ she corrected. It sniffed at Harry with closed eyes, who stood petrified as it came nearer to him.

 _"_ _No, not two,"_ he said. _"But you are unique. . .Speak to me, snake-speaker."_

 _"_ _H-hello,"_ Harry said, more confidently than Amanda would have thought.

 _"_ _Interesting. . .You may not have the blood of Slytherin, but you share so many qualities of an heir. . ."_

 _"_ _He's not an heir?"_ Amanda asked, frowning.

" _No,"_ he confirmed, raising his head.

 _"_ _Does that mean he shouldn't be here?"_ she asked softly. The basilisk sniffed at Harry again.

" _He can speak to snakes,"_ he declared. " _He can stay."_

 _"_ _Brilliant!"_ Amanda declared, turning to Harry with a wide grin on her face. He still looked terrified.

" _Why does he have his eyes closed?"_ Harry asked, still looking at it.

" _If we look into his eyes, we die,"_ Amanda explained. _"So don't do that. Also, be wary of his teeth—basilisk venom is one of the worst venoms out there."_ Harry's eyes widened, finally looking to her.

"Does Dumbledore know about him?" Harry asked, using English. Amanda found it odd he only seemed to use Parseltongue while looking at a snake.

"Of course not—no one but Slytherin Heirs are supposed to know about this," Amanda said, replying in English for Harry's sake. "Slytherin himself made sure that he would never be found, and it's now _our_ duty to do the same."

"Our duty? But he just said I'm not a Slytherin Heir." Harry pointed out.

"You know about him, _so now it's your responsibility too_ ," Amanda responded unconsciously slipping into Parseltongue as she crossed her arms. " _Not that anyone is really looking for him anymore…it has been centuries since he was used properly_." The mammoth snake shifted.

" _Used?"_ he asked. " _I have only ever been_ asked _to carry out Salazar Slytherin's wishes. Do you not wish to do the same?"_ Amanda turned to her basilisk, his eyes still closed.

" _I don't know,"_ Amanda said honestly. The snake gave a soft hiss, almost like a sigh.

" _Young heir, you have yet to prove yourself,"_ it said, moving closer. _"I remember your grandmother. Arianna's confidence was unprecedented by all who came before her, but she was clever with it, and she proved herself quickly, unlike that other one—that Riddle. A riddle he was indeed, when he came to me. While I obeyed Arianna from her second year onward, it was not until Riddle's fifth year that I decided he was worthy enough to be a Slytherin Heir."_

" _How—how many Slytherin Heirs have been down here?"_ Harry asked from behind her. Amanda was too busy thinking to listen. She had never considered asking about her grandmother. When she went over to Theo's house, she often was forced to listen to her grandfather—and therefore, Theo's grandfather as well—about Arianna. Despite dying young, there were many stories to tell, it seemed. Most of them made Amanda either bored or uncomfortable. Adrianna, on the other hand. . .

" _As many Slytherins have walked through the doors of this old castle,"_ the basilisk said.

" _What about Adrianna, my mother?"_ Amanda asked. The snake hesitated in answering.

" _She was as subtle of a being as you are, I remember. Just as prideful, too. But down here, where even my eyes couldn't touch her, she showed a very strange amount of reverence for me. The only thing she asked of me was the wisdom I have gained over a thousand years of life."_

 _"_ _When did she prove herself to you?"_ Amanda asked. Harry seemed to shift uncomfortably beside her, as if this conversation was too private for him.

 _"_ _Perhaps I will tell you when I deem you worthy enough to know,"_ the basilisk answered, a chuckle escaping him.

Harry had his own questions after that, which was understandable. Apparently, he had lived with muggles before this, which was absolutely confusing to Amanda. Amanda had questions too, and before long, Amanda started to lose track of time.

" _I believe,"_ said the basilisk after a while, " _you should return to the school before you are noticed missing. It would not do good to draw attention to your whereabouts."_

 _"_ _One more question,"_ Amanda said.

" _If you must,"_ the basilisk said, giving that sighing hiss again.

" _What's your name?"_ Amanda asked. _"You never said."_

 _"_ _Fascinating,"_ the large snake spoke. His tone, on a human, would have come with a smile. " _I have gone by many names, some forgotten in my old age. The Slytherin Heir traditionally chooses the most fitting name, and I must comply. Though, the tradition has been broken once before."_

" _Then I want to break it a second time,"_ Amanda said, standing taller like she saw Mrs. Malfoy do in the company of higher status. " _What is your name?"_

The basilisk was quiet once again, and he was still. Even though Amanda couldn't see his eyes, she knew there was contemplation behind them. She could feel it. A war within the mind. Merlin knew she had seen the expression behind Snape's eyes more than once.

 _"_ _As you wish,"_ the basilisk said, and he dipped his head as he said, " _I prefer to be called Bozhidar."_

* * *

 **A/N**

And so the plot of the Chamber of Secrets explodes. Fun times.


	4. Chapter 3

Delilah wished Hogwarts had a map that changed along with it, because although there seemed fifty different ways to get to a certain classroom, only one would work at any given time, and it was a guessing game as to which one. Not to mention she was used to finding things by scent, such as her sisters in another room. But the castle was much larger than the Longbottom house, and the scents were so jumbled and mixed up together Delilah couldn't pick them out.

The hardest part was finding the Great Hall. She thought it would be easy the first day considering the smell of food was so strong. However, she kept finding herself near the kitchen and ended up having to skip breakfast because of it.

The second day, she had found an older boy about Elena's age and had decided he knew where he was going. So Delilah had followed him from the Hufflepuff basement to the Great Hall.

Since then, Delilah had waited in the common room for the boy, staying a few seconds after he left to follow him to the Great Hall. If she got too far behind, his smell wasn't very hard to follow, as it was the distinct smell of grass.

Usually, he was with at least two other boys of his year. He was very social, always loud enough to hear but never shouting. That was another easy way to find him.

Monday, however, the boy was alone, striding along slowly as if he were enjoying the morning air, only they were inside. She wished he would walk faster, though, because her first class started early, and her stomach was aching horribly for food.

He turned to face her.

She stopped.

With a look of neutrality, he said, "Is there a reason you keep following me, or should I be worried that I have a stalker?" Delilah ducked her head.

"I'm not stalking you, I just can't find my way to the Great Hall on my own, and you know the way, so. . ." She tried to avert her eyes, but it was hard, especially when he grinned at her.

"You should have just said so," he said. "I'm guessing you're a first year?" Delilah nodded. "I remember my first year. This castle can be _very_ confusing for the first couple of months. Do you want to walk with me?"

"I don't have to," she said. "You could just give me directions, if you want." He shrugged.

"My friends are coming to breakfast later, and I don't like walking alone," the older student told her.

And so they went. Delilah didn't know what specifically urged her to walk beside him, but she did.

"So what's your name?" the boy asked as they walked.

"Delilah," she answered. "Delilah Coppin."

"Oh, that's right! You are one of the Coppins," the boy said, looking at her. "Are you triplets, or is one of you a cousin or something?"

"We're triplets," Delilah answered.

"Really? I don't think I've ever had the chance to meet triplets before," the older student explained. "Are you identical?"

"No," she said a bit too quickly, having expected the question.

"I figured as much, considering you all ended up in different houses," he said. "That's really neat. Oh, wait a minute, I forgot! I'm Cedric Diggory." He gave a dip of his head.

Delilah opened her mouth to say something, but they had entered Great Hall and the overpowering smell of food cut her off. As usual there was little commotion inside because of how early it was and Delilah only spotted Audrey, who managed to figure out how to eat and read at the same time at the Ravenclaw table.

Delilah made the motion to just sit at the first spot available at the Hufflepuff table, but Cedric caught her eye and gave a warm smile.

"Want to sit with me?" he asked.

"You don't mind?" Delilah asked.

He shrugged again. "Like I said, my friends are coming later."

"Okay," she said, and followed him down the table. The Great Hall was still rather empty as she started filling her plate. They sat practically alone on the Hufflepuff table aside from a few people down the way.

"So how has your first week been?"

"I keep getting lost," Delilah told him, eating her food. "This castle is so confusing—I've been late for almost every class."

"It was like that for me, too," Cedric said, jumping into his own food. "All of the different wings of the castle and the changing staircases had me asking directions so many times that I swear the prefects waited where I always got lost to point me in the right direction. Don't worry, though—soon you'll know your way around this place like you know your way around your own house."

"That's good," Delilah said.

"So are you not an English wizarding family?" Cedric asked.

"We are," Delilah corrected looking at him. "Our mother was a pureblood, but our father was orphaned as a boy, so our last name isn't common. He was raised by muggles, you see."

"Really?" Cedric asked. She nodded.

"Yes," Delilah answered. "Gran tells us that he was most likely a muggleborn." She got tense. She didn't hate her dad like Amanda did, or ignore him completely like Audrey did, but she didn't really remember him, either. However, it had been a subject that usually resulted an awkward end to the conversation or a few harsh words.

"I only assumed because I don't really recognize your last name, yet you seem too sure of yourself to be muggleborn." Delilah couldn't help but smile at that comment. Cedric opened his mouth to ask something else just as another student swung around and sat next to him. A second friend of his sat next to him soon after.

"Helping out firsties, Cedric?" asked one of them. He was lanky with curly brown hair that was closely cut, but still uncooperative from what Delilah could tell.

"She was lost," Cedric said. "We were just talking about our families."

"Oh, are you going Slytherin on us now?" teased his curly haired friend, shoving Cedric. He suddenly turned on Delilah. "Don't worry—Hufflepuff is _usually_ a "blood-status" free place. Not like those Slytherins."

The other friend, this one being more filled out with lighter hair and blue eyes, tilted his head. "You're one of those Coppins though, right? From the Sorting? So you must know all about blood-status—your sister looked like she was that _Draco Malfoy's_ sister _."_

Delilah was a bit overwhelmed as she responded, "Since our grandfather is a Nott, we spend a lot of time with the Nott family, and Draco sometimes joins us."

"Your cousin was hanging out with that Elena Nott, too," the blue-eyed friend pointed out. "Are you all family?"

"That wasn't her cousin," Cedric corrected, almost as if he were a bit proud to know the answer. "She's a triplet."

"Really?" groaned the curly haired friend. Delilah nodded in reply.

"Pay up, my friend!" said the blue-eyed friend, holding out his hand as the other took out several sickles..

"We made a bet, you see," the blue-eyed boy began, "because I insisted that you were a triplet while _he_ believed the Ravenclaw one was a cousin."

"I didn't walk you to the Great Hall just to settle this, I'll have you know," Cedric said, giving her that warm smile that he had before. "I just wanted to talk to my stalker." Delilah blushed a little.

"I wasn't stalking you," she insisted. She couldn't help but glance over to Audrey. However, Audrey was gone.

"Of _course_ you were—" one of the friends began.

"I have to go!" she exclaimed, remembering that she had a class with Audrey that started in just five minutes. Snatching up her bag, she stumbled out of the table. "Sorry—"

And she was off to chase down her sister.

* * *

In terms of not getting lost, following her sisters worked for the first half of the day, during which she had classes with either the Slytherins or the Ravenclaws. Her Charms class, however, was with the Gryffindors, and she couldn't find Neville or any first year Gryffindor at all.

Delilah tried to follow Cedric's advice, but the more she looked for a Ravenclaw or any older student, the more deserted each of the hallways seemed to be. The one she was currently walking through had absolutely no signs of life, and all the scents that had been there were faded and weak.

She heard it. A rustling of claws on floor. Large claws on floor. She also heard a bit of whining, as if there were a giant dog hidden somewhere. She dared to take a sniff, coughing as she smelled just what was making the noise.

Delilah went further through the corridor, following the sounds of the creature rather than the overpowering smell. Finally, she came to a door. She wiggled the door knob. It was locked.

 _Why would there be a big dog locked in a room?_ Delilah thought to herself. She took out her wand and pointed it at the lock, thinking of the charm she had heard the Weasley twins attempt on numerous occasions while trying to get into the forbidden room at Gran's.

" _Alohomora!"_ she said. Having only heard the spell a few times, Delilah smiled with pride as she turned the knob and heard the door click open. She pushed it ajar, poking her head through as soon as she was able. She gasped.

The dog _was_ giant. It barely fit in the room. It also had three heads, which Delilah could not stop staring at.

They raised their heads with their teeth bared. Slowly, she knelt, keeping their eye contact. They continued their aggressiveness, so she transformed on instinct like she did when her werewolf sister would get too riled up during the full moon.

They stopped their snarling. Two of them tilted their heads, sniffing curiously at the little white wolf now lying down but still staring.

In a loud groan of the floors and walls, the three headed dog jumped up and landed in a play bow. Delilah heard its tail wagging on the wood. Curiously, she mimicked their move, initiating the play.

The thing barked, sending thunder through the room. Awkwardly and without much room, Delilah ran forward, dodging their heads as they playfully snapped at her.

It went on for about a half an hour, seeing as she had already missed her class running around trying to find it. Finally, however, she transformed back into a human and grinned at the now panting three-headed dog.

"I've got to go," she told them. "I'll be back soon, I promise."

They whined as they laid down and gave her the cutest faces they ever could, ears down and everything. Her heart went out to them, as they were extremely lonely in this small little room.

"I'll be back," she promised again as she backed out of the room.

Once Delilah was out of it, she closed the door. She had no clue how to lock it back up, so she made a mental note to learn a locking spell before coming to play again as she strode to where she hoped the Great Hall was.

Delilah had no clue why something like that would be in a school full of children with the potential to get lost, but she knew they were not played with or given the attention they needed.

So she took it upon herself to do the job.

As much as Delilah would have liked to meet the three headed dog more, she did not manage to drop by until Wednesday due to all of the homework and school she was rushing to get done. Not to mention Cedric always seemed to be inviting her to sit with him at breakfast or volunteering to walk her to her next class if he happened by her in the halls. She didn't mind, as she loved spending time with the third year, but she couldn't very well sneak over to see the three headed dog while he was around.

And then, on top of all that, she had to worry herself with flying lessons.

It was a very strange thing to hear right before bed: flying lessons would begin the next morning. No one had ever said anything to her about flying lessons. Just the thought of it made her nervous. She had been on a broom before, obviously, but only once when they had gone over to Fred and George's house for a bit and Amanda had tricked her onto one. It hadn't gone well.

The next day, out of anxiety and nervousness, she told this to Cedric, who had once again invited her to sit with him during breakfast.

"Flying is easy," Cedric reassured her, "and I'm not just saying that because I like it. As long as you follow the rules, you shouldn't get hurt at all, and I bet you'll be great at it anyway."

"Really?" she asked. He gave her that same comforting grin.

"Really," he responded.

"You really shouldn't be one to talk," said his curly haired friend, who she had learned was named Rory. "You're going to be on the team, after all." Cedric rolled his eyes.

"The tryouts haven't even been held yet," Cedric told them.

"I've seen your competition," Rory added air quotes to the word. "In two weeks, your name will be up on the announcement board, just you wait.

"And then we can finally win the Quidditch Cup," declared the blue-eyed friend, Evan. Gazing at Delilah, he said, "Hufflepuff hasn't been the winner in decades—Charlie Weasley saw to that. Then he left, and the Slytherins upped their game. But at the end of last year the team swore that we would win it no matter what."

"I don't suppose you have the flying class with Slytherins?" Cedric asked.

"No, it's with the Ravenclaws," Delilah responded.

"Well, there is that, at least," Cedric told her. "Ravenclaw hasn't won the Quidditch Cup for longer than we have—it's a running joke that they're too busy strategizing to actually be able to sit down and play."

Delilah had been happy to hear the lessons were with Ravenclaw too, but for a completely different reason. Whereas Audrey had never been on a broom in her life, Amanda always seemed to be sneaking around Gran to practice, and she was always on one when they were at the Notts or Malfoys. She was glad she wouldn't be making a fool of herself in front of her more domineering sister.

Feeling much better about the lesson to come, Delilah managed to make it to her first class on time and patiently wait through it. Right after that was flying lessons.

The trek out to the field wasn't too bad, and though they weren't in the Quidditch pitch as Cedric said they would be, Delilah was glad to see the forest. Even if she couldn't go in it, just being near it made her feel home.

The mix of yellow and blue shuffled around the twenty or so broomsticks on the ground. Audrey found her almost immediately.

"How was your first class? Transfiguration with Amanda, isn't it?" Audrey asked.

"It was fine," Delilah said.

Audrey spoke quickly, "My Charms class with the Gryffindors was alright. We still haven't done anything substantial—just the basics. I wonder when we'll get to some of the spells we were learning about, like the levitation one. Elena told me that was one of the first charms you use—"

"Are you nervous?" Delilah interrupted. Audrey's shoulders fell, and her dark hair (which was shorter than Amanda's) fell with them.

"A little," she answered.

"Flying is easy," Delilah promised with a smile. "Cedric told me himself." Audrey narrowed her eyes.

"Is that the third year I always see you with?" Audrey questioned suspiciously. Delilah nodded.

"He's been helping me memorize the castle," Delilah explained.

"He's also a third year," Audrey spoke, her eyebrows raised. It made her angular face stand out.

"Why does that matter?" Delilah asked, tilting her head.

"He's Elena's age," Audrey answered.

"What does that matter?" Delilah asked, genuinely confused.

Audrey opened her mouth to respond, but just before the words came out a woman Delilah could only assume was Madam Hooch stalked onto the field, her hawk eyes glancing around to each student.

"Well? Get next to a broom!" she barked at them. Delilah and Audrey, still next to each other, strode next to their brooms. "Now stick out your right arm and say up!"

"Up!" Delilah shouted, staring at the broom. The broom stayed as still as a stone. She frowned, glaring as she said, "Up! Up! Up!" No movement.

She went on, forcing more and more into her voice until she thought maybe that was why it wasn't working. So she softened her voice, but still, the broom did not move.

"Great job, Audrey!" exclaimed a Ravenclaw. Delilah glanced to the side, seeing that her sister had taken hold of her broom.

So Delilah tried harder, practically bellowing it out before sighing with frustration as Madam Hooch strode over.

"You can't _force_ the broom—here, try this," the teacher said, but none of her solutions worked and Delilah was the last one left.

Finally, after giving up, she gave one last "Up!" and the broom floated to her hand weakly.

"Good job," Audrey said, giving her that 'you finally did what normal people do' smile.

Delilah scowled and paid attention to the teacher.

The flying lesson didn't improve from there. After finally learning how to mount her broom (though Madam Hooch made sure to correct her several times), Madam Hooch blew a whistle and they were all meant to get into the air.

Delilah did not.

Many of the students pushed off the ground, some (like Zacharias) flew in a circle with obvious practice while others (such as Audrey) did exactly as told and shakily flew straight up and hovered for further commands. Delilah, meanwhile, was one of two people still on the ground, for she had kicked up, but the broom barely moved two inches before settling back down.

The teacher once again tried to help her with a voice full of annoyance, and that only added to the stress already piled up from not managing to get off the ground like everyone else.

So, as the other students leisurely flew back and forth on Madam Hooch's command, Delilah just practiced getting off the ground.

She was behind, _again._

For the rest of the day, Delilah huffed around angrily. She knew she was the only one who couldn't fly, and by the time the Gryffindors and Slytherins went, she would be the worst one in their year. _But it makes no sense!_ She found herself thinking often. After all, Audrey had been fine, and Delilah had understood everything Madam Hooch had taught her.

She did not sit with Cedric for the few minutes of lunch they had together. She didn't even sit with her sisters during class. That is, until Amanda slid in beside her with an ice pack before transfiguration.

Momentarily distracted, Delilah asked, "What happened?" Distantly, she hoped Amanda had fallen.

"Neville," Amanda muttered. Her eyes were half closed with pain. "He was nervous so he messed up the takeoff, flying up until he fell. And because I decided to be a hero, I now get to spend detention with Snape with a headache." Delilah's stomach twisted, worried for Neville but also worried for Amanda as she remembered her snake-like sister telling her that she got a few weeks detention for 'letting a snake loose in the Gryffindor common room.'

"Is he okay?" Delilah asked. "And how'd you get hurt?"

"I had the stupid idea of trying to break his fall," Amanda explained. "I was only trying to help. Anyway, he fell on me and broke his wrist. Thankfully I just got a bump, but we were still both sent to the Hospital Wing."

"See? Your big head finally has some use," Delilah teased. Amanda gave her a fake glare.

"Oh, shut up."

"I bet you got to skip a few classes," Delilah said.

"Not really, and that's not the worst part," Amanda hissed. Not angry, just annoyed. "Apparently Harry did this _amazing_ thing against Draco, and I _missed_ it because I decided to be the big sister for once. I was so stupid!"

"What did Harry do?" Delilah questioned. Amanda shrugged.

"I dunno—I think he caught Neville's Remembrall or something heroic like that. All I know is that Draco is singing about Harry being expelled and I can't even shut him up because I wasn't there," Amanda said. Delilah wanted to say more, but Professor McGonagall had walked into class, and if Delilah had learned anything in her first days at Hogwarts, it was to be quiet around the cat-smelling lady.

Soon, the news about Harry's typically Gryffindor sacrifice had flooded the school, and Delilah got the entire story. Harry Potter had broken the rules when Draco decided take Neville's Remembrall, to which Harry took back while flying. The last thing anyone saw of him before he returned to classes was McGonagall taking him away.

"Apparently Harry had never been on a broom before, which is stupid, I know," Amanda had said. "and I didn't even get the chance to fly. By the time I was told to go back to class, everyone was up in the air flying around. Even Hermione."

While Delilah was glad Amanda and Neville were okay, she had one very selfish thought. Even _Hermione_ could fly on a broom. Sure, Neville had fallen, but all of the Gryffindors and Slytherins of her year had at least left the ground.

So Delilah went through the rest of the day in a ruined mood, barely even speaking during dinner when Cedric had asked her how flying lessons went. He had tried to comfort her, but she wasn't listening.

It lasted even when she had made it to bed. As Hannah, Susan, and the rest of the Hufflepuffs in her dormitory breathed in their patterned sleep, Delilah stared upward, fully awake. She told herself repeatedly that she needed to sleep, but to no result.

Delilah, fully aware of the consequences, got out of bed and stepped into the deserted common room. She snuck through. When she was out, she hurried down the corridor, following her own scent in the dark toward her three-headed friend.

She made sure to stop every so often and listen in case there was a teacher around. Or worse, Filch and his cat. The both of them were at least easy to smell.

The castle was frightening at night with all the portraits asleep and all the lights out. Yet Delilah wasn't scared—she was used to finding her way through darkness. It was actually rather thrilling to her, to be sneaking away into forgotten corridor as if she were in a heroic novel like the ones Audrey liked to read.

Finally, Delilah made it, surprised at how cold her bare feet were. She quickly unlocked the door and slid in, closing it gently beside her before spinning and transforming in a swift movement.

Six eyes met her. She heard the banging thud of their tail and started to wag hers. Instead of playing with her as they usually did, the dogs tilted their heads and sniffed, giving soft, comforting whines. She strode over and snuggled next to their paw, and their gigantic heads laid down next to her.

They stayed that for what seemed like hours. She heard them snoring just slightly, and she, too, was drifting off to sleep, wondering if anyone in the Hufflepuff Common room would question her absence. . .

 _BANG!_

Delilah was to her paws, her eyes widening as she saw Harry, Ron, Hermione, Neville, and finally Amanda pile into the room like their life depended on it. She transformed back in her human form as Neville turned around and stared at the three-headed dog with eyes that couldn't widen anymore.

Delilah put a finger to her lips. Neville just stared.

"I think we're safe now," Harry said.

"You might want to turn around," Amanda said. Her sister had faced her and, though she was very still, she showed only mild surprise.

Harry turned and then backed himself up against a wall.

"Be quiet!" Delilah shouted as quietly as she could. She could feel the three-headed dog towering behind her. "They won't hurt you if you stay quiet and still."

"Do you know where we are?" Hermione hissed to no one in particular. "This is the forbidden third corridor! If Filch finds us in here—!"

"It is?" Delilah asked, tilting her head.

"Of course it is! Why _else_ would this door be locked?" the Gryffindor witch questioned.

"I just thought, you know, maybe they just kept him in a corridor no one really uses anymore. . ." Delilah spoke.

"How long have you been seeing this three-headed friend of yours?" Amanda asked. She didn't seem phased at all, other than the fact her hand was shaking.

"About a week," Delilah said, "but I was going to tell you—I swear. We were just so busy."

"Alright," Amanda managed to say, her voice higher than usual. Her poison green eyes did not leave the three-headed dog.

From there, it was quiet. Neville continued tremble and Ron looked ready to sprint back out the door at any sudden move. The dogs, however, stood still, tense and ready to pounce, but more out of protection than outright aggression.

"I think he left!" Hermione after carefully listening through the door. Neville, Ron, and Harry all hurried for the door with Hermione following them after a quick glance at the floor.

"We need to go," Amanda said, and swiftly glided away. Delilah turned and put a hand on the three headed dog's shoulder.

"I'll make sure to see you soon," she told them, and dashed out of the room.

She caught up to Amanda soon after she relocked the door, and they jogged from hallway to hallway, going downstairs and then upstairs, but then Amanda stopped. Delilah sniffed in, catching the unforgettable scent of garlic and fear.

"In here!" Delilah exclaimed, and pulled her sister into an empty classroom, closing the door as quietly as she could.

"Are you sure there aren't any three-headed dogs in _this_ room?"

"Be quiet,," Delilah said lightly, though Amanda really did need to be quiet.

Amanda shrugged, but both of them watched carefully as the turban-wearing Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher stepped by their door. Delilah noticed that his fear scent was gone and that he wasn't shaking, but dismissed it as soon as she saw Amanda wasn't beside her.

"Amanda!" Delilah called out, her eyes having not yet adjusted to the dark.

"I'm over here, moron!" Amanda's voice rang back. Quiet enough to only be heard by her, but loud enough to actually reach her. Delilah followed the voice and her scent, finally beginning to see clearer.

"Oh, Merlin, you've got to look at this!" Amanda exclaimed.

"What?" Delilah asked, finally seeing her sister. The Slytherin was in front of a mirror a few feet taller than her. It had an inscription, though it was in some language Delilah didn't understand.

"I'm a dragon!" Amanda shouted. Delilah looked closely, and found that her sister was right. Where she stood, a very large black dragon stood proudly over what looked like the Hogwarts castle.

 _That's really big,_ Delilah thought.

"I wonder if this mirror shows us our true animal?" Amanda asked out loud.

"Can I see?" Delilah asked, taking a step forward. Her sister ignored her. "Please?"

"Hold _on,_ I've just got here—"

"But I want to see what animal I am!" Delilah exclaimed.

Amanda sighed, stepping aside as she said, "Fine, but I want to get a look after you." Delilah grinned, quickly taking her sister's place.

She didn't see an animal.

She saw herself with her sisters at the table back at Gran's, just talking. They were speaking mainly to her, she soon noticed.

"Well _that's_ boring," Amanda commented. Delilah had to agree, but she still felt… _home_ when she saw it. Her Slytherin sister took a step forward, saying, "Come on, let me see that dragon again."

"Hold on," Delilah said instinctively, staying still.

"Why, so you can stare at something you see everyday?" Amanda asked, but Delilah didn't answer. Thankfully, Amanda seemed to be in a forgiving mood, and let her stare for a few more minutes.

Delilah couldn't explain why, but she wanted to keep staring at that mirror. Amanda seemed to want the same because they kept fighting over who got to stand in front of the mirror, eventually settling on taking turns in five minute intervals. They only managed to leave three hours later when Delilah heard a teacher snooping around other classrooms.

"We'll see it again tomorrow," Amanda promised. However, when they returned to the disused classroom that afternoon, they found themselves disappointed.

The mirror was gone.

* * *

 **A/N**

Yep, I'm going there. To be fair, there's not many known Hufflepuffs and I feel like Cedric would just become the big brother to everyone as lost as Delilah because, well, he's Cedric. XD


	5. Chapter 4

Audrey had noticed something was off about her sisters hours before they told her about their night in the forbidden corridor that next afternoon. She wasn't jealous at all about not meeting the three-headed dog or running from Filch, but she wished that mirror hadn't disappeared. She wondered what it would show her and why exactly it showed what it did in the first place.

They had decided, after a stressful few weeks, that it was time to be in their animal forms again. They went to classes as normal, but Audrey could hardly sit still. As with every time she was forced to stay human for long periods of time, she was itching to get out and just _run_ for a few hours. Amanda and Delilah weren't much better. Her Slytherin sister was uncharacteristically snappish when some of the Slytherins started talking to her at breakfast and Delilah was speaking very, very fast in class.

Audrey wasn't sure how she was getting to wherever the three of them were going to be able to play around, so she just started doing homework in the common room, hoping to be easily found. It was apparently the best call, because just after dark a prefect came strolling in with a note in her hand.

"Coppin! Come with me," the perfect barked.

"Just let me put my bag away," Audrey responded, and after a gesture of permission from the prefect, Audrey scooped up her stuff and tossed it next to her bed before rushing back to the common room.

They went a pretty roundabout way to the Headmaster's office. Audrey wouldn't have cared aside from the fact she had been trying to keep her energy contained all day, so her impatience was starting to wear thin. It took forever to finally meet up with Professor McGonagall in one of the many corridors near the Headmaster's office.

After Professor McGonagall gave the prefect orders to go back to her duties, she led her to a room just off the corridor where Audrey already heard Amanda and Delilah rustling about.

"I will be your supervising teacher this evening," Professor McGonagall said once she had gotten their attention.

"Follow me."

Audrey was quite glad she did not have Professor McGonagall as the head of her house because she was much more stiff and strict than Professor Flitwick, who she felt she could talk to all day about charms or any subject worth learning about, really. McGonagall seemed more like the type of teacher who would help you learn a task completely and then quickly send you on your way rather than allow you to go off-topic into something you found interesting and engage in academic discussion. Professor Flitwick also tended to be lax on talking as he considered collaborative learning very productive, but McGonagall would stare down at Audrey even if she had only snuck one word to one of her sisters. It was why the Ravenclaw stayed quiet while they walked down the vaulted corridors, and Amanda and Delilah must have thought similarly, because there was no conversation as they followed the deputy headmistress. Not even a whisper.

Blue moonlight shone on the grass as Professor McGonagall led them out to a field just around the corner from the greenhouses. The moon wasn't full, but Audrey still wanted to shift right then and there to bask in it and the sharp autumn air. She managed to keep ahold of herself, however, until she knew for sure they were allowed to play.

"Please remember that you are restricted to where I can see you and you are forbidden to enter the forest. I will let you know when it is time to return to your dorms," Professor McGonagall told them. Audrey glanced over to Amanda, who gave a smirk and disappeared into the grass. Being as jittery as she was, Audrey leaped backward like a spooked horse into her animal from, trotting away while throwing her head.

Before she knew it, Delilah was bounding up to her with her blindingly white coat and her tongue out. Audrey stopped and pawed at the ground with a powerful hoof, remembering how good it felt to be on four long legs, strong enough to carry much more weight than she ever would when she was human. The breeze against her coat, the sounds of distant animals, the knowledge that she could clear this field within a few minutes and just about thirty strides was enough to send her bucking and tossing her head around some more

Delilah soon got her attention, though, and with just one look and a play bow, Audrey knew what her sister wanted. She sprang away at a trot, careful to stay within sight of McGonagall as Delilah raced after her with a menacing yet playful snarl.

They played the "no canter" game, as Delilah called it, for a long while. McGonagall had conjured a desk and seemed to be grading homework. Audrey wondered for only a little bit what it would be like to jump over said desk, but quickly erased the thought when she noticed Delilah catching up.

Audrey eventually felt a nip on her back leg, and she stopped, allowing herself to breathe as the white wolf dashed away, parting the grass with a sound that was somewhere between a bark and a howl. After Audrey felt that she had caught her breath, she trotted after the canine, zigzagging in an attempt to catch her.

A scream split the field and forced Delilah and Audrey to halt in their place. McGonagall didn't move, so Audrey assumed only they could hear it clearly enough, but she still perked her ears toward the Forbidden Forest, trying to listen for it while stiffly watching the treeline.

Delilah recovered faster, making more noises to get her to play. Audrey didn't move, however. Something kept her still, waiting for what she knew had to be—

It stabbed through the air again. Closer. More desperate. Audrey felt herself take a step toward the forest, but she kept herself from taking anymore. _It's probably just a bird,_ she told herself, but that didn't help at all. Delilah was looking as well, whining as Professor McGonagall raised her gaze.

The third time, Audrey shifted and spun around to face Professor McGonagall.

"Professor, there's something wrong in the forest!" Audrey exclaimed. The deputy headmistress gave her a sharp gaze.

"That forest is full of violent creatures," the professor told her. "There is a reason it is forbidden."

"But there's something screaming loud enough for me to hear all the way out here!" Audrey reasoned.

"Is that what that is?" Delilah asked. Audrey turned to her sister.

"You can't hear that?" Audrey questioned.

"I can, I just didn't know what it—"

An owl hooted, flying overhead seemingly twice as fast as Audrey's lackluster owl. A package dropped onto Professor McGonagall's conjured desk. Audrey saw her pick up the package, reading the letter attached to it.

Without even opening the package, she brought out her wand, giving it a sharp flick before a silvery creature shot out and raced toward Hagrid's hut.

"What's wrong?" Delilah asked.

"Did someone die?" Amanda questioned coming out of the grass in her human form with a smirk on her face. Audrey didn't give her a second glance, she was too busy waiting for an explanation.

The professor, who seemed focused on whatever was screaming now, strode over.

"Professor Snape will arrive shortly to take you back to your dormitories," Professor McGonagall told them, hurrying forward.

"What's wrong?" Audrey asked, repeating Delilah's question.

"Nothing that concerns a first year," the professor said quickly as she passed. "Everything will be taken care of, now stay here or expect to spend the rest of your Saturday afternoons in my office."

Audrey bit her lip from saying anything further. It was torture having to sit there and wait while that screaming creature—

Audrey gasped.

"What?" Delilah and Amanda asked at the same time.

"The screaming, it stopped," Audrey breathed, staring at the forest.

"And?" Amanda asked carelessly.

"Hagrid saved it?" Delilah guessed.

"It's dead," Audrey responded.

* * *

Audrey's composure was in shreds the next day. Professor Snape had arrived a few minutes later and drug them away before they could be given any news on what had died. Audrey didn't have the nerve to ask either Professor Snape or Professor McGonagall about what had actually happened the next day, so that job was left to her imagination, which did a thorough recounting of every scenario that could have happened.

She constantly asked herself one question: why did she care so much? After all, she had watched Amanda and Jessica kill things almost every full moon. But the screaming of this particular animal kept ringing through her head like one of Delilah's chilling howls.

Audrey had managed to get through her morning classes easily enough, but during her break she started thinking about the screaming some more. She decided to work on an essay that was due for Transfiguration to keep her mind busy, so she rushed up to the Ravenclaw tower, sat herself down on the first chair she could spot and started scribbling.

The essay, however, was mind-numbingly easy—she hardly had to think about it at all. Which, of course, meant the events of the night before kept coming to her head. Could she have done something? Would she have, with the threat of expulsion or at the very least the loss of points for her house? What even was that animal? She felt like it was important, something she needed to know more about. She also thought of McGonagall. Did the professor think less of her? Did she think Audrey was weak for worrying about such things? And what was the letter McGonagall had received? What had it said to make her so rushed all of a sudden?

Audrey blinked when she realized she was finished with the essay. She leaned back on her chair, setting her quill down. Having felt like she had just run a mile or two, she longed to go back to bed and just sleep the thoughts away.

"Hello, Audrey, catching up on homework after staying out last night?"

Audrey lifted her gaze, pleased that it was Elena and not a stranger who had noticed her leave last night.

"A bit," Audrey responded with a sigh.

"Is something wrong?" Elena asked. Audrey stared down at the parchment she had been writing on. Her eldest sister sat in a comfy armchair a few feet away from her own seat, gazing at her not with sympathy, but a calming, actually quite apathetic stare. "What happened?"

"It. . ." Audrey began. She sat up straighter, careful to make sure all of her stuff didn't slide down. She sighed, and with a much quieter voice, said, "Last night—we went out with Professor McGonagall, and everything was going fine, but there was this screaming from the forest. I don't know what it was—definitely not human and not something we have encountered before. I tried to tell Professor McGonagall about it, but she said it was just what happened in the Forbidden Forest. But I can't stop thinking about it . . ."

"From what little I know about the Forbidden Forest, it isn't too uncommon to hear screaming coming from those trees," Elena explained.

"But it sounded like it was being tortured, not just killed!" Audrey exclaimed. "And then Professor McGonagall got a letter—"

"What letter?" Elena questioned.

"I don't know—it was just a letter, and it made her use some sort of silvery spell that went over to Hagrid's hut, so it must have meant something important, right?" Her eldest sister didn't say anything at first, but her eyes were narrowed like they were when she was working through those puzzles they had always seen her with when they went over to the Nott's to visit.

"I don't know why I keep thinking about this. I've seen Jessica slaughter her prey when she wasn't in a good mood, but this. . ."

"Audrey," Elena said. Her tone snapped Audrey to attention, but it did not leave Audrey offended. With that 'don't be stupid' stare, she went on, "What is the worst that could have happened?"

"I don't know," Audrey said quickly. "That could have been a really important creature—that's what that letter could have said. Or maybe the thing that killed it is really, really dangerous, and it could come to the castle."

"If that creature was that dangerous, there would have been more protection around the school by now, and I'm certain we would know at least a little about it," Elena told her, "and if that creature was really important, they wouldn't have kept it in the Forbidden Forest."

Audrey could feel the weight of the stress lifting off of her, if only a little. Still, her Ravenclaw self asked, "Then what was the letter for?"

Elena shrugged. "Perhaps the creature that killed it was dangerous enough to call attention to the attack, but still, if the teachers couldn't handle it, we would know. So just don't wander into the Forbidden Forest, and you will be fine."

Audrey nodded, not sure what else to do. She felt loads better, but that didn't mean she wasn't still wondering about it all.

"Thank you," she said, giving a quick smile to Elena. "You helped me." Elena smiled a warmer smile at those last few words. Audrey noticed her eldest sister enjoyed being told that.

"You're welcome," she said. "So, other than that, how was running around Hogwarts for the first time?" Audrey grinned wider than she had in days, and proceeded to tell her sister all about how much fun it was.

* * *

October came quicker than Delilah would have liked. Homework seemed five piles high in her mind, and between Cedric's private practices, meeting her sisters, and sneaking away at every chance she had to visit the three-headed dog, she seemed like she had no time.

Cedric's birthday—October 2nd—came without notice for Delilah. She was busy with some last minute studying for a test when he had sat down next to her that morning with his friends bellowing out "Happy birthday to you." Cedric had ignored them for the most part, but by the end of the song, most of the Hufflepuff's and a handful of other people from the other houses were singing along (namely, Fred and George Weasley).

Delilah, who was now completely at home when sitting next to the older year, had barely gotten in a quick 'happy birthday' before she, Cedric, and his friends started talking about normal things: school, sisters, and Quidditch. He always had new questions about her and every so often she would learn something new about him, too.

Although she hadn't gotten to talk to him long, for he was soon whisked away by his friends to further celebrate his birthday in between class time.

Before Delilah knew it, she was saying happy birthday to Elena—October 13th—and singing the song to her beside Audrey and Amanda, who had managed to sneak in a few words before going back to the Slytherin table.

They didn't do much other than that for Elena's birthday. After all, they had decided their Celebration Day would be October 20th.

Delilah got up actually rather late that morning, but because it was a Saturday, that didn't matter as much. She had just gotten dressed and found Cedric dutifully waiting for her in the common room.

"Did you get enough sleep last night?" he inquired. Delilah nodded.

"I was tired," she said.

"Not too tired for another flying lesson, I hope?" Cedric asked. She smiled.

"No," she said, "I'm too close to being able to take off and do a fly around perfectly to skip that today."

They went on talking about her improvement and Cedric's own Quidditch practices, which had come to take up a lot of his time. Still, he had not once suggested that he stop giving her lessons, even the day she had suggested it when he had first been accepted onto the Quidditch team.

The tables were rather empty when they sat down to eat, so Delilah easily spotted Amanda and found that she didn't have any gifts near her as she had expected. Delilah almost sighed with relief.

"It looks like one of your sisters has something to say to you," Cedric commented. Sure enough, Audrey was coming over with a strained but happy expression.

"Elena made the reservation at one this afternoon," Audrey explained. "Just make sure you're there on time—you wouldn't want to try to get through the Ravenclaw door on your own."

"Has the mail come yet?" Delilah asked. Audrey shrugged.

"No, but I don't think that matters," she muttered, and with that, she turned around and walked back to the Ravenclaw table.

"What are you going to the Ravenclaw tower for?" Cedric asked curiously.

"To open presents," Delilah asked, smiling.

"Wait, I thought Elena's birthday was on the thirteenth?" Cedric asked. Just as he did, three owls—Audrey's and two others—came in to the Great Hall each carrying a decent sized package.

The school owl gently set down the package next to Delilah's breakfast plate and flew away. Delilah sighed, peeling off the letter attached to it before she moved on to opening the box.

"Aren't you going to check who it's from?" Cedric asked, picking up the discarded letter.

"It won't say," Delilah answered, picking up a cleanish knife to help her open the present.

"Why not?" Cedric asked. _Because our dad likes being dramatic,_ Delilah remembered Audrey saying one year. Delilah herself didn't answer, for she had finally opened up the box. The thing within it made her gasp.

Her dad had given her plenty of gifts before. He never missed their birthday or Christmas; it was like he was still trying to prove that he loved them. However, the gifts were trivial, thoughtless things—chocolate, necklaces from far off places, maybe some socks or some pictures of their mother or muggle grandparents.

That was not what was in the box. The thing was bronze, she decided as she carefully took it out of the package. A bronze statue bigger than her hand of a wolf standing upon a three inch high rectangular bronze box that had a gold plate. Nothing was etched into it, however.

"That looks real!" Cedric exclaimed. It was true—the wolf was as realistic as it could get. She carefully touched it, feeling all the ridges that brought forward the fur from the body.

The wolf moved.

Delilah brought her hand back as the wolf shook his coat and sat before staring up at her. She noticed words appearing on the gold plate, and read them:

 _Amanda Coppin_

 _Audrey Coppin_

 _Jessica Coppin_

 _Elena Arisio_

 _Neville Longbottom_

 _Augusta Longbottom_

"Is that everyone your family?" Cedric asked. Delilah nodded. The names ebbed away, and the gold plate was blank again. "What kind of magical item _is_ this? I've never seen anything like it before. Do you know if it does anything else?"

Delilah picked up the letter. It was the first one she had read in years, but there was nothing different about it other than a short "For your first year at Hogwarts" line. She shrugged.

"He didn't say anything about it here," Delilah explained.

"He?" Cedric asked.

"My dad," Delilah answered. Cedric dropped the question. Having heard Delilah speak about him before, he must have remembered she wasn't comfortable talking about him.

"So, is this just a late 'welcome to Hogwarts' present, then?" he asked.

"No—it's a birthday present," Delilah answered. She still had not taken her eyes off the wolf, which was now scratching behind his ears making a ' _shink!'_ sound with every scratch.

"Is that today? Why didn't you tell me?" Cedric asked frantically. Delilah smiled and shook her head, breaking her stare and gazing at him.

"No, it's on the twenty sixth," she told him. "We just wanted to celebrate it on the twentieth this year because Elena's birthday is so close to ours."

"Oh!" Cedric exclaimed in sudden understanding. "That's why you are going to the Ravenclaw tower." Delilah nodded.

"Amanda didn't want to be seen in the Hufflepuff common room, and we aren't allowed in the Slytherin's," Delilah said, distinctly remembering that conversation (argument) about two weeks after term started. Cedric raised his eyebrows.

"Is she too good to be seen with us lowlifes?" he teased. Delilah smiled.

"No, she just wants to build a reputation or something like that."

"Well, in any case, it looks like we will have to move our practice," Cedric said. "Is three good for you?" Delilah nodded.

"Yes," she said.

They went on talking a little more, once again about the same things: school, Quidditch, and sisters.

* * *

The Ravenclaw tower was not nearly as welcoming as the Hufflepuff basement, Delilah soon realized. Everything was perfectly clean without any indication anyone actually lived in it. The colors—blue and bronze—were cold even with the light coming in from the windows. She especially felt all this when she entered, for the Ravenclaws glanced up, saw her, and went back to what they were doing with a look of smug superiority. The only thing that was remotely pleasing to Delilah was that everything seemed to be in perfect symmetrical order.

"See what I mean about Ravenclaws and outsiders?" Audrey asked, striding up.

"And I thought _Slytherins_ were prideful," Amanda remarked as Audrey led them to their reserved spot next to the window. Delilah was still confused as to why there even was a reservation system, considering it was just a 'first come, first served' basis in the Hufflepuff common room and if you _really_ needed the space you could just ask for it.

"They at least respect Slytherins to a certain extent," Elena said as they came closer to her and the dozen or so presents on the table.

"Hey! Are these the leaderboards you were talking about?" Amanda asked, fixated on the blue and bronze plates resting on the wall just a few feet from their spot.

"Yes," Audrey responded with disdain in her voice.

"They only show Ravenclaws? Really? You really _are_ a prideful lot," Amanda commented. Delilah, who was also curious, wandered over. From what she could see, Elena was third of her year of the Ravenclaws, and Audrey was fourth.

"Tap the first year board with your wand—it should show everyone in our year," Elena explained, dividing the presents into four groups.

"Ha! I'm higher than you, Audrey!" Amanda exclaimed. That much was true. Amanda was just above Audrey, and Delilah was right below that.

"Professor Snape has yet to grade that last homework assignment," Audrey commented. Amanda's shoulder fell. Then they rose.

"That shouldn't matter…I got nearly a perfect score on it," she said firmly.

"I think we're ready," Elena smoothly interrupted through the banter. Amanda spun around and marched back to their sisters. Out of the corner of her eye, Delilah saw the board shift back to only showing the Ravenclaws of their year before she too joined her sisters.

"Audrey's pile is right there, Amanda's is left of that, and Delilah, yours is next to the window," Elena explained, sitting down next to her own pile.

Delilah scooted into her chair just as Amanda said, "Hey, I wanted the window seat."

"Too bad," Audrey said, "moving things around this cubby is impossible and it would take ages."

Eventually, they all managed to find themselves in their rightful seats around the table. Delilah was itching to open her presents—there was one box wrapped in bright orange that she was going to dive for as soon as Elena said the words.

"Okay, before we go," Amanda said, turning to face Delilah, "what in Merlin's name did dad get you? I couldn't get a good look at it from the Slytherin table." Delilah quickly dove into her bag with a grin on her face before carefully taking out the wolf statue, setting it on a clear spot on the table. It started moving as soon as the base was stable.

"A statue that moves," Amanda said. "Well that's no fun. He seemed to really screw up this year—none of this stuff is even _use_ ful." Delilah's smile faded.

"But it's a wolf statue!" she said.

"So?" Amanda asked.

"It's fun to look at—I've never had a statue that moves. . ." Delilah trailed off, hurt and uncertainty creeping in at having something she liked degraded.

"It's fine if you like it, but seriously, he could have done better," Amanda relented.

"What did you get?" Audrey asked. Amanda also dug into her bag, soon bring out a clear glass snake that was surprisingly nimble.

"A glass snake?" Delilah asked.

"Perhaps it needs to be activated? I hardly think something that can move so easily would just be a decoration," Elena pointed out.

"Activated by what?" Amanda asked.

"Parseltongue?" Elena asked, her eyebrows raising.

"Oh." Amanda hid her embarrassment admirably.

Delilah didn't realize how simple that was until Elena had said it. What else would activate a snake like that?

Amanda opened her mouth to undoubtedly say something in parseltongue, but Audrey quickly said, "SHH! Slytherins may like it when you do it, but who knows how everyone else will react?"

"I was only going to _whisper_ ," Amanda muttered, crossing her arms.

"These people have better hearing than me, I swear," Audrey explained.

" _Now_ who's the prideful one?" their Slytherin sister said.

"What did you get?" Delilah asked, actually quite curious. Audrey stiffened up. She reached into her pocket and brought out a miniature reptilian creature—a red dragon, she realized—that didn't move. It was delicately created for being only a few inches tall and made of some rubber-like material. It seemed like some cheap toy, aside from the fact its paint job was detailed down to each scale.

"Alright, see, I think ours got switched or something," Amanda said, reaching for it. Audrey, however, snatched it up before she could.

"It isn't yours," Audrey commented.

"So? It's not like it really matters," Amanda said, sitting back.

"At least yours _might_ do something. This just looks like a toy," Audrey muttered, shoving it back into her pocket.

"Did you three really expect anything more from your dad?" Elena pointed out.

Delilah thought about the question. She didn't enjoy thinking about her dad, but he had at least remembered to give them something they wanted, like sweets. These seemed more personal, yet rather confusing. Still, she enjoyed the gift, as she really liked watching the wolf go about his day.

"Well, hopefully I at least get that quill I've been asking for," Amanda said, and started with her first present.

Being the very orderly family they were, they went clockwise around the table, each waiting for their turn to open their next present. Delilah was pleased with all the other gifts, and though Amanda complained about the color of some of her presents, she seemed quite happy when she got that quill that she had been bugging everyone about. Even Audrey's mood was improved by a new novel in a series that seemed to have been going on forever about a unicorn and his boy.

They had thankfully gotten done at about one thirty (a quick time for them) so she had just enough time to visit the three-headed dog before her flying practice with Cedric. So, she took the first turn toward the Forbidden Corridor that she could and started off toward it.

* * *

Delilah had never noticed this, but the castle was actually rather quiet on the weekend. She was glad for that, because that meant she could think more clearly. It was also nice to just have the quiet after a stressful week of school.

Her visit with the three-headed dog had been fun. They had gobbled up their pieces of cake she had snuck over from the kitchens and then enjoyed her telling them about all the cool stuff she could for her birthday. They were particularly interested in the moving wolf statue.

At that moment, however, she was striding out of the forbidden corridor, making her way back to the Great Hall, which was the only place in the castle she could get to the Quidditch Pitch from.

Then she heard footsteps coming straight for her from the opposite direction. She stopped instinctively, watching the corner as a strong scent of garlic filled her nose, causing her to cough.

"W-who's t-t-there?" quivered the familiar voice of Professor Squirrel—Quirrell. She could never get it right.

"It's just me," she said quickly, stepping forward into better light as she prayed she truly was out of the forbidden corridor.

"W-w-what are you d-d-doing so close t-to the forb-bidden c-corridor?" he asked.

"Sorry," Delilah said, thinking quickly. She put on her 'begging' face and went on, saying, "I'm lost. My friend wanted to meet me somewhere near the upper-years' charms rooms."

"O-oh!" he said. "W-well, it isn't th-that direc-ction. Why d-d-don't you g-go b-back down s-s-stairs? Much s-s-safer there." He gave a nervous chuckle that made Delilah's stomach churn, so she gave a quick nod before racing away from the forbidden corridor and back down the stairs.

She not once considered what a scaredy-cat like _him_ would be doing heading toward the forbidden corridor, or why his constant fear-scent was gone.


	6. Chapter 5

After all the birthdays and schoolwork, Delilah was ready for Christmas break, but of course it was only the end of October. Audrey, meanwhile, seemed to simply want Halloween to be over. She was more paranoid than usual and very snappy during normal conversation. That, and she glared at almost anyone who had the slightest hint of mischievousness about them.

It made sense as to why. For about a week, random scare pranks had been going on thanks to the Weasley twins and several other playful people who were looking for fun. Basically anyone who wasn't paying attention was a clear target for people looking to frighten a friend, and considering Audrey's tendency to spook at anything remotely out of place, it was no wonder the Ravenclaw had been in a perpetually bad mood since their birthday.

Amanda wasn't being friendly either. For some reason she vanished during her breaks, and no one knew where she went, not even Theo. Delilah liked meeting her sisters after class, but not even Elena seemed to have the time. Their eldest sister was either doing schoolwork or in the library researching something for Audrey.

There was one good thing about the week, though, and that was learning how to make things fly. Ever since Elena had displayed this trick to them when they visited her once in her first year, Delilah had wanted to lift objects with magic, and finally, after weeks of preparation, Professor Flitwick finally told them they were going to be demonstrating their knowledge in class.

"Levitating? That'll be easy for you. Just wait until you get to the fun stuff," Cedric told her when she told him why she was jittery and excited.

"What, like those cheering charms? Those weren't fun at all, and yet we still have to do homework on them," Rory, Cedric's loud friend, muttered as he ate his breakfast.

"I think these spells are only fun to Cedric because he's so good at them," his Even, the calmer friend, said with a teasing grin. Cedric just smiled back.

"I'm not Ravenclaw good at them or anything," he said modestly.

"You're close," Rory said.

Just then, Delilah caught Professor S—Quirrell staring at her. He looked away quickly as if she'd frightened him.

"Is something wrong?" Cedric asked. She looked at him and shook her head.

"No, but Professor Quirrell keeps staring at me," she explained. Cedric shrugged.

"Maybe you just interest him. He is a Ravenclaw, after all, and they do all sorts of things to study something," Cedric told her. The thought of being studied didn't really reassure her. What if he figured out their secret? Or Jessica's? Delilah was sure not all of the teachers knew, and she understood it was crucial that it was kept that way. Still, if Cedric was convinced it was nothing, she had nothing to seriously worry about. After all, Professor Squirrel wasn't that brave of a teacher.

Charms class was a success. Delilah wasn't the first one to make the feather fly. That was Hermione, who had smugly lifted the feather with absolute perfection. Still, Delilah was pleased that she managed to get her feather to fly within ten minutes of the brilliant Gryffindor and after about six or so others levitated their feathers. She was even more excited when she heard there were several students, such as Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, and even Neville, who didn't get their feathers to move at all. It made her feel special.

And later that day came the Halloween Feast. It seemed like there was ten times as much food as there was at the first feast the day they arrived at Hogwarts, and the food was decorated completely to match the holiday. The rest of the Great Hall was too. Candles floated in the air ominously, the sky ceiling was a full moon, and there were even a few ghosts lurking about attempting to be scary. Those ghosts that didn't hate Halloween and had bothered to show up, anyway.

The only thing that bothered her before she filled up her plate next to Cedric was the fact that Professor Squirrel was nowhere to be seen. She had been subconsciously keeping an eye on him ever since she noticed him staring, and she wondered curiously as to where he had gone. When she went to eat that curiosity floated away.

And as soon as she had taken a bite of food, the curiosity was answered.

An owl floated down through the hundreds of live bats flitting about and landed on the Hufflepuff table right in front of Delilah. With narrowed eyes she took the letter and read it as the school owl flied away.

"Who's it from?" Cedric asked, but Delilah was too busy rereading it to respond to him. She glanced up to Professor McGonagall, whose name was on the letter, but the Deputy Headmistress was busy talking to Professor Flitwick.

"Delilah?" Cedric asked, this time without his smile.

"It says I have to go meet Professor Quirrell," she explained. Cedric looked at the letter like it might transform into a little demon.

"That doesn't make any sense," Cedric told her, "I wouldn't trust it."

"Why not?" she asked, more in confirmation rather than clarification.

"It might be a prank. It is Halloween, after all," he answered.

"Who would want to prank me, though?" she asked, glancing up at him.

"The Weasleys?" he suggested. "They're close to your little sister, aren't they? Whoever it is, just don't go. There's no reason a teacher would want to see you during the feast, especially this late at night." Oh you'd be surprised, Delilah thought, glancing up to meet her sister's gaze.

They weren't there.

Audrey wasn't anywhere at the Ravenclaw table, and Amanda was missing from her spot in between Theo and Draco. She understood the letter completely.

"I have to go," she said, standing up. Cedric narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What—?"

"I'll tell you later," she lied, and hurried out of the hall.

As she walked, she tried going through all the reasons why she would need to see Professor Squirrel. She briefly considered that Jessica was in trouble. The full moon had been the night before, after all. She was certain the teachers would have come to her in person, though. That couldn't have been it. Nothing could have been wrong with her sisters for the same reason. She wondered if her sisters needed to get out and run. Then she decided the teachers wouldn't have allowed that the night of the Feast.

It occurred to her that maybe one of her sisters got into trouble with their abilities (probably Amanda). In that case, she was needed to go over the rules again. That was the most likely reason. It was something Professor Squirrel could do. That would mean the garlic-smelling teacher knew about them. Delilah knew that wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

Delilah was just about to turn around the corner toward the charms classes where Professor Squirrel wanted her to meet him. However, she heard sniffling through the bathroom door. Curiously, she walked into the girls bathroom. There was someone crying in one of the bathroom stalls. Hermione, she realized as her scent placed itself.

"Hermione?" she asked, her voice displaying every uncertainty she had about trying to comfort someone. "Are you okay?"

"Go away!" Hermione said, probably trying to sound menacing despite the fact her voice wavered.

"Why are you crying?" Delilah asked, stepping forward.

"Didn't you hear Ron? Everyone else did," Hermione hissed.

"No," she responded. She wondered just what the biased Weasley could have said to make her so upset.

"Well it doesn't matter anyway, so you can just go back to the feast," Hermione bitterly. Delilah stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Just what was she supposed to do? Audrey was usually the best in these situations. She was waiting for her with Amanda and Professor Squirrel, though. Which she was late for now. She didn't just want to leave Hermione. That felt…wrong.

"You really should go to the feast—the food there is delicious and the decorations make the start of term banquet look dull," Delilah tried. Her imitation of Audrey didn't work. Hermione just stayed in her bathroom stall.

Very distantly, Delilah heard Ron and Harry coming. Maybe they're coming to apologize and get her to go to the feast, she thought. She looked to Hermione's stall and decided it would be rude to leave the Gryffindor, so she resolved to waiting for Harry and Ron to come.

A strange smell wafted into her nose. Within minutes it became too strong to just be some odd scent. Then ground shook. She spun around, expecting to see Harry and Ron, or maybe a ghost, but not at all what she actually saw.

A troll. A twelve foot tall troll. A troll. In Hogwarts. A troll. She stayed still, hoping it wouldn't notice her.

"Hermione," she said, her voice hitting some invisible wall in her throat. "Hermione, there's a—"

The Gryffindor girl screamed from behind Delilah. The troll gave a disapproving grunt and raised the long wooden club he was carrying. So Delilah did the first thing she could think of-she transformed. On four legs, she jumped in between the troll's legs bit into his calf.

The taste was horrible. She quickly let go and ran toward the door. The troll stomped around, apparently thinking the shiny white wolf was a more attractive victim than the bushy haired girl. Delilah planned to lead it out of the bathroom and into the halls where a teacher would hopefully be. However, there was one problem with that.

The door was closed.

Her heart sped up, becoming stuck between the door and a troll raising his hand behind her. She tried desperately to think of what to do. The sinks were too low. The stalls would trap her between tile and wood that could splinter. Going back around would make Hermione a targ—

Delilah went flying across the room. Somewhere in the air she had changed back into her human form. Then she hit the wall. She felt the 'thunk' as the impact knocked out all of her breath and she knew as she collapsed on the ground something was bruised.

Despite the fact her lungs still caused her to cough and her muscles still strained against her movement as she tried to get up, just the fact she was alive made her certain that the troll had barely used any of its strength.

Her head was blurry at first and her eyes weren't thinking properly. Or was it the other way around? She put a hand on her forehead and forced herself to sit. The pain in her head throbbed as if her body was telling her to stay still, but she knew she couldn't. There was a troll in the bathroom.

When Delilah could finally see, she had to blink several times to figure out it was real. Harry was hanging onto the troll's neck and Ron was flicking his wand at the wooden club. The club went into the air and hovered for a second before coming down and smacking the troll in the head.

Delilah shielded her eyes as it fell with a ground-shaking 'thunk.' When she relaxed, she saw Harry and Ron standing over it, with Hermione in the corner obviously stunned by the whole experience.

"Is it dead?" Hermione asked shakily.

"I don't think so," Harry responded, "I think it's just been knocked out." As Delilah stepped forward to get a closer look, the boy who lived reached down and took his wand out of the troll's nose.

"Delilah?" Ron asked as Harry wiped the boogers off. "What are you doing here?"

"I went to go meet Professor Quirrell—he sent a letter for me—and then I saw Hermione and I was trying to get her to go to the feast," Delilah explained. Talking made her head hurt, so she brought a hand up to it in hopes of relieving some of the pain.

"Are you alright?" Harry asked, stepping forward.

"Yes," Delilah answered. Then she froze, her mind finally clearing enough for her to hear and smell correctly. "The professors are coming."

The three of them turned toward the door. Hermione stayed on the floor, still in shock as Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Professor Sprout strode through the doorway. Delilah expected them to be shocked, but the Deputy Headmistress's face twisted into anger instead, and Snape looked infinitely more sour than usual. Professor Sprout gave a little 'oh!' when she saw the troll, but then looked at Delilah with what she could only decipher as amazement.

When Professor McGonagall started yelling, Delilah watched Snape, who had bent over to look at the troll. He glanced at the bit marks only a few seconds before shifting his piercing gaze at her. She averted her eyes.

"Please, Professor McGonagall—they were looking for me," Hermione said, having gotten to her feet and shuffled over.

"Miss Granger!" the Deputy Headmistress exclaimed.

"I went looking for the troll because I—I thought I could deal with it on my own—you know, because I've read all about them."

Delilah blinked, having not expected that lie at all.

"If they hadn't found me, I'd be dead now. Delilah got here first and distracted it from me. Harry stuck his wand up its nose and Ron knocked it out with its own club. They didn't have time to go and fetch anyone. It was about to finish me off when they arrived."

Delilah got distracted by Snape again as Professor McGonagall scolded Hermione. The potions master was pointing at the bite and whispering to the Hufflepuff head of house, who gave only a quick, worried glance to Delilah before looking back at the troll's wound and whispering something back.

". . .and Delilah, you will win five points for Hufflepuff as well."

Delilah's head spun around back to face Professor McGonagall after that. She had won points for Hufflepuff? At first her heart rose with pride, but then it fell. All she had done was get thrown into a wall.

"You may go," Professor McGonagall said. Delilah breathed a sigh of relief and stepped forward.

"Not you, Miss Coppin," came the cold voice of Snape creeping up her spine. Delilah froze, her hopes of getting out without the professors realizing her rule breaking vanishing entirely. Ron and Harry gave each other a sideways glance before hurrying out of the bathroom.

Delilah turned around to face the other professors, along with Professor McGonagall, who had moved to see what Professor Sprout had pointed at.

"You did that?" Professor McGonagall gasped. Delilah gave a small nod, mentally editing her story to match Hermione's.

"I came by here after I got your letter and I saw Hermione go in—"

"My letter?" Professor McGonagall interrupted, her eyes narrowed. "I didn't send you a letter." The teachers all looked at her with varying degrees of suspicion that made her wish she could Apparate rather than turn into a wolf.

"Yes, er, look," she said, and she brought up the crumpled letter she had stuffed in her robes before the troll incident. Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape both studied it. Despite his flawless scowl, Delilah scented some form of fear on Snape. He wasn't scared. It was more like he was…concerned. Unfortunately Delilah wasn't the best at deciphering emotions using even normal human expressions, let alone scent, so she wasn't certain by any means.

"What made you believe a professor would send a note like this in the middle of the Halloween Feast?" Snape demanded, his voice continuing to seep through her skin.

"I saw that Audrey and Amanda were gone so I assumed it had something to do with our abilities, I thought that maybe Amanda had broken the rules again," Delilah spoke quickly.

"It seems you have instead," the potions master growled.

"Only to fight the troll! Hermione and I were both trapped in here with the troll and I couldn't think of anything else to do but to bite it." Delilah explained, praying they wouldn't punish her. She would have more faith if Snape wasn't in the room. "I did manage to distract it before it hit me, and after that I didn't really do much…"

"It hit you?" said Professor Sprout, cutting through Delilah's mumbling. She looked as alarmed as a feral cat when Delilah found one in wolf form.

"Only with its hand," Delilah explained quickly as she saw Professor McGonagall's worry. "And I think Harry and Ron had sidetracked it, so it didn't hit too hard."

Professor McGonagall gave her a hard look before she said, "Well, I suppose it was in self-defense."

"She still let that girl see her," Snape reminded them both.

"Hermione was still in the stall—she couldn't see me," Delilah lied. That's right, Hermione had seen her. Silently she hoped with all her heart that the Gryffindor wasn't going to tell anyone about what she had seen. She'd have to talk to her as soon as she could.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, just take away the five points she gained if you must punish her," Professor Sprout told the other teachers as she went up to Delilah, "my student needs to get to the hospital wing."

"Don't let it happen again," Professor McGonagall warned her as Professor Sprout hurried her into the corridor.

When they were out of earshot of the others, Professor Sprout said, "We must hurry. Your house was scared for you when they couldn't find you."

Delilah blinked in confusion. Someone in Hufflepuff noticed she was gone? She didn't really know anyone in Hufflepuff, after all. She had been more concerned about her sisters and how worried they must have been.

"I would refrain from repeating this to anyone," Delilah's Head of House said, "but I'm proud of you."

Delilah's grin could have replaced the night sky.

* * *

The trip to the hospital wing had been quick. It turned out that Madam Pompfrey already knew about what Delilah and her sisters could do, for she asked if she had been it in her human form or her animal form. When Delilah had asked how she knew, she said she had fixed up their father on many occasions. With just a potion and some ice, Professor Sprout was leading her out of the hospital wing.

Professor Sprout sent Delilah to the common room on her own to finish the feast with the other Hufflepuffs when they came close to the basement. The wolf sister could hear the feasting from yards away, and by the time she had entered the common room she found that it was louder than any other night she had spent in the common room.

"Delilah!"

Delilah was embraced tightly before she could even register that it was Cedric who had spoken. It was also Cedric who had hugged her.

"I was so worried—I told a prefect and Professor Sprout that you had gone looking for Professor Quirrell and that you didn't know about the troll."

"I told him to stop fretting," said Rory, walking up as Cedric released her. "You probably weren't headed toward the dungeons, after all."

"What's the ice for?" asked Evan.

"Er, the troll, it—"

"You actually saw the troll?" asked Rory loudly just as Cedric asked, "The troll hurt you?"

Delilah blinked, trying to pick which question to answer. Finally, she explained, "O-only a little. Other students came around just in time to help, and then the teachers came."

"Wait, wait, wait," Rory went on. "You faced a troll and lived?" Delilah nodded, still feeling very uneasy. She had never had this much attention before.

"For a first year, that's lucky," the Evan stated smoothly.

"That's amazing!" Cedric agreed.

"Well go on then," Rory said. "Tell us how in Merlin's name you survived a troll."

"At least let her sit down to eat first," Cedric said and then turned to her. "Come on, I saved you a seat."

Once they were seated and eating, Delilah told them about what happened, avoiding the part where she turned into a wolf and bit it. By the time she was done with her story, it was time for bed, and just about when she laid her head on the pillow did she realize that despite everyone else's plate being empty, Cedric hadn't eaten a thing until she had arrived.

* * *

The next morning, Delilah's first and only goal was to find Hermione Granger. It proved easier than she had anticipated. All she had to do was search through a few sections of the library before she found the bushy haired girl with her nose in a dauntingly large book.

"Er, Hermione?" Delilah asked as a way to announce her presence. The first year Gryffidnor slammed the book shut and stared at her intently as if she were trying to read the Hufflepuff's mind. The title of the book displayed itself largely on the book: Animagi and How to Spot Them.

"You aren't going to find anything in there," Delilah promised the intelligent Gryffindor.

"I've looked in every book about shapeshifting, but this is the closest I can find to explain what you did," Hermione told her. "How did you do it? Most wizards can't master something so complex until they're in their seventh year, and even then that's rare. And who taught you? This is a third year subject, not a first year, though of course you would have learned this before coming to school—"

"Hermione," Delilah whispered quickly, sitting down to be closer to her. "Stop being so loud, no one can know what I can do, not especially not Ron and Harry. And I'm not an animagus."

"Then what are you?" Hermione demanded. There was a hunger in her eyes similar to what Elena looked like when she was fiddling with a spell or Audrey when she was researching something random for another one of her projects. Delilah sighed.

"It's hard to explain," she said, "but my father's family was cursed and part of that curse makes it so I can transform into a wolf." Hermione tilted her head.

"Can your sisters turn into wolves too?" she asked. Then she gasped and said much more quietly, "Are you werewolves?"

"No," Delilah said, actually kind of impressed at how quick Hermione's mind was. "No, the animal can be anything the curse chooses, that's what makes us different from animagi. Our form doesn't have anything to do with our personality. Well, that, and we don't have any distinguishing marks like animagi do. And no, I'm the only one who inherited the curse. All my other sisters are normal." She decided it would be better if Amanda and Audrey weren't involved. She really, really didn't want Amanda teasing her about being careless enough to let someone else see her form.

Hermione looked at her suspiciously. "Then why do you keep saying 'we?'"

Delilah could have fainted. She swallowed hard, thinking quickly and saying equally as fast, "I was talking about my father's side of the family, not my sisters."

Thankfully, Hermione seemed to accept that answer.

"Do your sisters know?" Hermione asked. Delilah shook her head.

"'Coppin' is not the name the curse usually runs through, or at least it wasn't up until now," Delilah explained. "Even I don't know that."

"What is the curse? What does it do, other than change into a wolf? I would assume something worse—that doesn't sound like much of a curse to me," Hermione said. Delilah had to agree with that. Sure, she'd had to be a wolf for ten or so months, but that wasn't hard or miserable, just a different way of life.

"I don't know any of that, either," she said. "My dad didn't exactly explain anything before he left."

"Oh," she said, her shoulders falling a bit. Then her eyes scrunched in determination. "I think I might have read something about this during the beginning of the year. If I could just find that book again, I bet I can find out more."

"Thank you, but I don't really—"

Hermione stood. "Do you want to help me?"

"Er, I have a lot of homework and I have flying practice with Cedric along with classes…"

"I'll let you know when I find something," Hermione said before spinning around and rushing to the nearest place she thought she might find an answer. Delilah sighed with relief. The last thing she wanted was to help Hermione find answers to things she mostly already knew, and she could really care less about why the curse was put on their family in the first place.

Hermione was hardly seen in between her classes after that. Occasionally she would be with Ron and Harry, who had befriended her after Halloween, but there was always a book in her hand. A few, actually, with titles Delilah really wished she would hide so that her sisters didn't figure out what she was up to and why.

A week into November, and the Gryffindor girl hadn't talked to Delilah once, so the wolf Hufflepuff decided she had given up on finding out about the curse. But then Hermione found her in the halls and drug her to the library with just a quick "I think I found something."

"I didn't find much," she said as they sat down in front of some gigantic book that was downright frightening to Delilah. "Apparently this curse isn't used anymore and even less known. The only bit I found about it was in here, Familial Curses. All the curses in here last for the life of the victim and if it's used right, it could extend to family members."

"You found the curse?" Delilah asked, genuinely curious.

"Not exactly, but maybe. See," she went on, flipping the books pages before stopping about mid book, "there's this curse here, and even though no one knows the name of it, it is said that was used often about the time Hogwarts was made, and it forced the victim to transform into any creature the caster decided and they would be stuck in that form forever. There isn't a counter curse to it, but it's said here that one wizard did manage to break the curse and become human after decades of being in some beastly form that isn't mentioned. They also said he could change back into that form whenever he wanted after that."

"What was his name?" Delilah asked, leaning over the book to see.

"That's the thing—the name has been scratched out," Hermione said. "Every time this wizard is mentioned, it's just been taken out. Otherwise I would be checking some of the family lineages. I even tried to see what wizard cursed him, to see if I could find the story in another book, but that isn't mentioned either."

Hermione kept on talking as Delilah kept thinking. Could this wizard have been their ancestor? It made sense, even more so than it did to Hermione because she didn't know they had to be in their forms for months before they randomly transformed back.

"…and of course I haven't checked the restricted section, but I bet I could convince a teacher that I'm working on some research and—Oh, h-hello, Professor Quirrell." Hermione blinked at a spot behind her, paling. Delilah stiffened. Professor Squirrel? The scent of garlic and fear confirmed it. She glanced nervously at the book, hoping the words were too small for him to read.

"L-l-look-king up c-c-curses, are w-we? N-not for an-n-nyth-thing d-dang-g-gerous, I-I-I hope?" said Professor S-Quirrell. A spark appeared in Hermione's eyes.

"Professor, do you know anything about this man here? Why it's scratched out, maybe?" the Gryffindor asked. No! Delilah shouted in her head and right through her eyes. Why did she bring attention to something so secret?

"Oh!" Professor Squirrel exclaimed, practically jumping back from the book. "Th-that n-n-name is c-c-cursed! It is-s a t-t-ab-boo t-t-to men-ntion it-t! A-alm-most-st l-l-like Y-you—"

"You-Know-Who, yes, but why? What happens when you do?" Hermione pressed.

"T-t-terrib-ble things, it has-s b-b-been s-said, t-terrib-ble th-things," Professor Squirrell said nervously. "T-the f-f-famil-ly w-was d-des-stroyed-d d-dec-cades ag-go b-by an ev-vil force. B-best n-n-not l-look f-for it-t, if-f-f I w-were y-you." He gave a nervous laugh and shuffled away to do whatever teachers did in the library.

"Something must have happened to your family," Hermione decided once he was far enough away.

"My dad was raised by muggles," she said.

"So you know he isn't muggleborn?" Hermione asked, titling her head.

"Only that he was adopted and came with the curse," Delilah answered. "But he could have been a half-blood.."

Hermione nodded. "That could be an explanation. Whatever happened to your family could have happened generations ago, which is why your dad didn't say anything. He doesn't know."

Delilah wasn't sure about that. After all the secrecy and mystery their father had, she was inclined to think he didn't say anything because he didn't want to. He didn't even reply to the letters that they once tried to send him.

"I could try looking in the restricted section now that I know why that family's name has been scratched out. I bet if I—"

"Hermione," Delilah said quietly.. She stopped and looked at her. "You don't have to do this. Honestly, thank you for finding out all of this, but you don't need to."

Hermione looked her straight in the eye and said, "I know, but you helped saved me from the troll, so I'm helping you find out more about your family in return."

"You don't have to," Delilah repeated. "I don't really want to know, to be honest. What you've found out already is enough." Hermione tilted her head.

"Why?" she asked.

Delilah fidgeted as she, "Well, I don't know. We haven't seen our dad in years, maybe there's a reason."

"Oh," Hermione said, deflating. "Okay. I just wanted to thank you, you know."

"I didn't even help defeat it, though," Delilah pointed out.

"No, but you distracted it from me. And besides, the only reason you were there in the first place was to talk to me. No one else even tried to make me feel better." Delilah couldn't help the pride that welled up in her stomach.

"Well, you don't need to do all this for me," Delilah said one last time. "Seriously. It was good of you, but I don't need to know." Hermione nodded.

"If you ever do care to know, just find me and I would be happy to help," Hermione said with a determined nod. Delilah smiled.

"Okay," she agreed.

There was a bit of an awkward silence before Hermione asked, "Are you going to the Gryffindor Slytherin match tomorrow?"

Delilah nodded with a grin. "Cedric's taking me. He wants to watch Harry play."

"Well come sit by us, if you can. I think Ron and I would be happy to have extra people cheering on Harry."

And so the conversation went from family curses to Quidditch games and classes.


	7. Chapter 6

_"Draco has one thing right. It's completely unfair. We'd probably both be able to have positions on the Slytherin team if Snape didn't follow the rules, and I would bet everything in the Arisio vaults that he messes up tomorrow. He was raised by muggles after all. He's only had a few months to learn how to fly and memorize the rules. I have been playing Quidditch for as long as I can remember, but nooo, Harry gets to be a—Bozhidar, are you even listening?"_

Amanda was lying on a blanket she had laid out at the feet of the Slytherin statue, and she was gazing up at the ceiling. The basilisk, meanwhile, was curled up a few feet away, a towering pile of scales with his head peeking out in between the coils.

 _"Of course, snake speaker,"_ Bozhidar mumbled back to her.

 _"You were asleep!"_ she exclaimed.

 _"You are mistaken,"_ he told her. She sighed.

 _"If you aren't even going to listen to me rant what do I come down here for?"_ she asked.

 _"To keep a lonely basilisk company,"_ he said, still mumbling sleepily.

 _"Except whenever I come down here you're sleeping,"_ she pointed out.

 _"When you are centuries old, you learn sleeping is as significant as everything else,"_ Bozhidar said.

 _"I bet Delilah's giant pet doesn't just sleep when she's around,"_ Amanda said with a smirk. She heard the giant snake shift.

 _"I am no dog,"_ Bozhidar hissed. _"That pup is as friendly as it is stupid. If they really wanted to protect the stone, they would have used me."_ Amanda grinned at his show of pride.

 _"So this stone…"_ Amanda began.

 _"You do not need to know,"_ Bozhidar told her, obviously having said it before. He had, but mostly because when he had first mentioned it a few months ago after Amanda had told him of her meeting with the giant three-headed dog, he had not failed to mention that was valuable and powerful, so of course she would keep asking. The answer was the same each time.

 _"What about the mirror?"_ Amanda questioned.

 _"I would tell you if I knew,"_ the basilisk replied. She had heard that answer as well. She asked only to see if she could catch him off guard because she didn't believe he didn't know anything. Hogwarts was his home, after all. _"Did you not have an appointment with your Severus Snape?"_

Amanda groaned. _"I don't want to!"_ she whined. It had been a nice couple of months, not having to show up to extra pureblood lessons with Draco and Theo and go into all of the "extracurriculars" her Head of House decided she needed to know.

 _"Go, so I can have my sleep,"_ Bozhidar told her.

 _"When I come back,"_ she said, standing and collecting her blanket, _"I'm going to be so loud I'm going to give you a headache."_ A low rumble came from the giant snake that she could only assume was a chuckle.

 _"Slytherin Heirs have been annoying me for centuries,"_ he said. _"I would like to see you try."_

Amanda left the Chamber with a smirk on her face. Challenge accepted.

* * *

Amanda was walking through one of the many corridors when she saw Theodore and Elena slowly striding along toward her. Elena looked like she was explaining something Theodore was extremely unhappy about.

"Did you get a T on an assignment or something?" Amanda asked when she was closer. They both halted to gaze at her.

"What do you mean?" Theodore asked, his blank face of confusion saying enough.

"I was just clarifying a theory for him," Elena said. Amanda recognized her vagueness as secrecy. The Slytherin Heir _really_ didn't like it when her older sister hid things from her, mostly because those things were often incredibly interesting and important.

"Well then stop looking so angry, Theo," Amanda told him, "otherwise Snape might start asking questions."

That got his attention.

"Snape?" he questioned, twisting around to look behind him.

"Er, no, lessons start today," Amanda said. "Aren't you coming?"

Theodore gave a worried glance to Elena as if asking permission, but quickly turned his attention back to Amanda and replied, "I need to go write a letter to my father." Amanda's eyes narrowed.

"Can't that wait?" she asked. He gave her a hardened stare that let loose a little pleading that basically told her, 'no, it can't.' She sighed. "Well I suppose Draco and I will just have to endure Snape's wrath together, then."

"Yes, well, it isn't like I'm behind on anything," Theodore assured her.

"Amanda," Elena said before the Slytherin sister could say anything. "Would you happen to know where Audrey is?"

"No, why?" Amanda asked.

"I think I may have overheard something she would want to know," the Ravenclaw explained. Amanda narrowed her eyes. _More vagueness._ At least Amanda had a clue as to what it was Elena was talking about, and she knew she had to be quiet about it because Theodore did not know about the family ability.

"Check the library, or better yet, her dormitory. Audrey hardly goes anywhere but those two places and her classes," Amanda said with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright," Elena said. She ruffled Theodore's hair with a playful smile. "See you later, Theo!" Amanda tried to hide a laugh as she tried to decide if Theodore was going red because of anger or embarrassment.

"I've got to go," Amanda said, realizing she couldn't keep her laughing a secret much longer. Theodore nodded and they parted ways.

Lessons with Snape weren't horrible. They just went over more family histories (seriously, how many of them could there be if Purebloods were a 'dying breed?') and started on the basic theory of Occlumency. Amanda was irritated when Snape told them it would take them awhile to actually practice the skill. Snape made her go over the theories again after that, being extra sour because of an injury he had to his leg. Amanda guessed the wound was from the three headed dog, but didn't say anything. If she had, Snape would _really_ have a reason to be angry.

Sooner than she would have liked, the next day came and the Slytherin Gryffindor match was starting. Literally everyone made their way out to the Quidditch pitch. Amanda knew why as soon as she heard all the whispers about Harry Potter, and each time she heard 'he must be brilliant!' or 'I bet he wins today!' she wanted to gag. After all she highly doubted Harry was good enough to catch the snitch in his first game.

"What do you _mean_ you're going with Cedric?" Amanda asked with a whine as she, Delilah, Audrey, and Elena made their way to the Quidditch pitch.

Delilah was all smiles as she said, "He wants to see Harry play since he's the Hufflepuff seeker. Apparently Harry is what they call a 'wildcard.' I don't know. Oh! And I'm going to be next to Ron and Hermione."

"Why, does helping them with a troll suddenly make you part of the Harry Potter group?" Amanda grumbled. She crossed her arms, still resentful about the fact her wolf sister got to do something so exciting while she was off with Bozhidar that Halloween. Audrey apparently hadn't been there either, most likely studying in the Ravenclaw tower.

"Hermione was just being nice," Delilah answered, completely missing the hint of irritation in Amanda's voice. It made the Slytherin Heir's frustration fade away. How could you be angry at someone who didn't react to it?

"I'm curious about Harry too," Elena said suddenly. Amanda knew that. Why else would her older, scientific sister come to a Quidditch game? "He must have shown potential if the professors allowed him on the team. Do you think he could be better than the Slytherin seeker?"

"No," Amanda said quickly, standing up straighter to demonstrate her confidence. _Yes,_ she thought. From what Amanda had seen of the Slytherin seeker, he wasn't much. Not nearly as small as Harry with a broom model at least six years old.

"Why am I going to this game, again?" Audrey sighed.

"To help cheer on Slytherin," Amanda reminded.

"Why?" Audrey asked. "I'm a Ravenclaw."

"Yes, but _I'm_ a Slytherin, so you should cheer on the team you've actually got family members in."

"I still don't see the point of watching the match," Audrey said. "I don't think the Ravenclaws care about winning the cup this year and I have homework to do."

"We all have homework to do," Elena said, rolling her eyes, "but you can take a break. No professor is going to give you a bad score because you went to a quidditch game."

"I know, but I have this really long assignment—"

"Shh! If you talk about homework again, I'm going to go to the Ravenclaw tower and burn your homework. And don't think I won't." Amanda threatened.

"Oh, I have no doubt you would, but I would love to see you stand in front of the door for an hour trying to figure out the riddle," Audrey said, and gave Amanda a casual expression that had the Slytherin Heir ready with a retort on her tongue.

However, that's right when Delilah sprang forward shouting, "Cedric's already here!" After a short 'see you later!' the Hufflepuff was gone.

"Who would have thought that _Delilah_ of all of us would have made friends with an older year first?" Amanda asked.

"I still think it's weird," Audrey said.

"Well, anyway , if you two are going to go sit by the Ravenclaws I'm going to go meet Theo and Draco in the Slytherin section. Bye!" And just like that Amanda was striding toward the stands.

By the time she found her cousin and friend, the game was just a few short minutes from starting. She glanced at Snape, who was sitting in the teachers' section looking as angry as usual.

"I bet Potter won't last five minutes on his broom," Draco sneered.

He lasted that long when you threw the Remembrall , Amanda thought with a roll of her eyes. Draco could be stupid sometimes.

Theodore looked like he was going to respond, but that's just when the players flew into the field.

Slytherin thundered around her, but they could not match Gryffindor's triumphant roar. Harry came flying out like a pro, though he looked around like this was the most amount of attention he'd ever gotten in his life.

It played out like she thought: Harry flew up several feet away from the battling chasers and the bulldozing bludgers. He thought he'd seen the snitch once, but Flint was stupid enough to almost knock him off his broom and proceeded to get a foul.

And that's when things started getting weird. Harry's broom starting bucking and swerving. Harry had to hold on tight, but he wasn't doing a good job at it.

Amanda knew it was dark magic. The Nimbus Two Thousand was a broom with twice the amount of protection as the model before it and triple the amount compared to any other brand. So she searched the crowd as they began pointing at Harry.

Her eyes finally caught Snape and she felt like her stomach had disappeared. He was completely focused on Harry, his lips moving but definitely not his eyes. Amanda knew the spells that called for that sort of focus were powerful. Powerful enough to take control of a Nimbus Two Thousand.

Amanda looked to her friends. Draco of course was grinning with glee as he watched his rival struggle, but Theo was looking from Snape to Harry, his ever present quizzical scowl on his face.

She turned back to Snape and asked the same question over and over in her head: _why is Snape trying to make Harry fall?_ Amanda considered that it was just to make sure Slytherin would win, but she knew him better than that. Snape liked winning the House Cup, but he wouldn't endanger Harry's life for it, no matter what reason he had for making Harry's life so terrible. Right?

Amanda wasn't ignorant about Snape's past as a Death Eater, but he had helped in the end and she was certain Snape wasn't that cruel. Well, perhaps not _certain_. Draco had told her stories that she hardly believed, but Draco could be truthful when it suited him.

Snape caught on fire. Amanda blinked in surprise as everyone around her mentor started shouting even louder than those pointing at Harry. The Slytherin Heir swung her gaze to the Gryffindor seeker, finding him dazed but in control of his broom nonetheless.

The game began again in full force, with Harry searching for the snitch and all the other players no longer worried about the Boy-Who-Lived falling off his broom. Suddenly Harry headed straight for the ground, and Amanda saw it: a golden spec that was getting closer and closer—

Harry tumbled to the ground. As he staggered up, he spat out something into his hands. Amanda's heart fell as the Gryffindors gave out the loudest roar of the day. It was the snitch. Gryffindor had won.

"Alright, that's it," Amanda said, not letting her eyes leave the Boy-Who-Lived. "Next year, we're trying out for the Slytherin team because the current team is obviously in need of new talent."

"They couldn't even win with the distraction Potter gave! Pathetic!" Draco shouted, his eyes alight with fury as he, too, watched the Gryffindors celebrate.

"I'll go as a chaser if you go as a seeker. Maybe Theo can go as a chaser. He's fast enough," Amanda said. Theodore shrugged.

"I don't really want to be on the house team, to be honest," he told her. Amanda turned her attention to him.

"What are you, a Ravenclaw?" Amanda asked offhandedly. Theodore didn't respond, averting his eyes.

"Snape looks _angry_ ," Draco pointed out. "Do you think we still have to go to our lessons tomorrow?"

Amanda sighed. "Unfortunately."

She saw Ron and Hermione rushing up to Harry. Hermione had her wand out, and Amanda's eyes narrowed. Of _course_ the know-it-all had casted the flames. Well, there was no way she was going to let the three of them believe Snape was a murderer.

"I have to go do something. Meet you in the dungeons," she said, and rushed through the stands through the quickest route to the three first years now being swarmed by every Gryffindor who could make into the Quidditch pitch.

Even with all the time wading through the witches and wizards shuffling out of the stands, Harry and his friends were still protected by a wall of over-excited Gryffindors. Eventually, Hagrid herded the Gryffindor trio toward his hut. Amanda waited until they were away from the Quidditch pitch and anyone else ready to eavesdrop before she approached them.

Harry was talking very quickly, saying, ". . .tried to get past that three headed dog on Halloween. It bit him. We think he's trying to steal whatever it's guarding."

"How do you know about Fluffy?" Hagrid asked.

" _Fluffy_?" Ron said.

"Is that what his name is?" Delilah asked. Amanda narrowed her eyes. When had she showed up? "I'm happy he has a name. I was beginning to think someone had just left him in there and forgotten about him."

"No, he's guarding something for Dumbledore, isn't he?"

Hermione pressured Hagrid, "And Snape is trying to steal it."

"And what proof do you have of that?" Amanda asked, stepping forward. Harry steeled himself as if ready for a fight.

"I saw him; he got bitten by that three-headed dog," Harry said confidently. Amanda paused, clenching her teeth as she tried to remember her own reasoning for what Snape would want with a three-headed dog.

"The teachers must be in charge of feeding him," Delilah pointed out. "Perhaps Fluffy wasn't in a good mood that day? Even sweet dogs like him are known to be aggressive in certain circumstances." Everyone but Hagrid gazed at her with wary looks, probably thinking that 'sweet dog' was an antonym to what Fluffy actually was.

"Are they?" Hermione asked, turning to Hagrid.

"Eh, well, I don' know exac'ly who's suppos' to feed him. He don' like the food we give him sometimes, see, bu' I know everyone tries," Hagrid said quickly.

"Then why did Snape try to throw me off my broom today?" Harry demanded.

Once again, Delilah had the answer Amanda didn't. "It wasn't Snape. Professor Sq—er, Professor Quirrell wasn't blinking and he was muttering, I saw it. Cedric said only dark magic is used like that." _Not completely true,_ Amanda thought.

"Quirrell was probably trying to save Harry," Ron pointed out.

"Snape wasn't trying to kill him," Amanda snapped, getting their attention with her fierceness. "He may hate Harry, but he isn't cruel and he isn't a murderer."

"He's a _Slytherin_ ," Ron spat, as if that explained every motive Snape might have had.

Amanda turned on him like a snake, saying, "Oh, does that mean I can say all Gryffindors are stupidly arrogant with no respect?"

"Amanda, tha' was a li'le harsh—"

"Ron was harsh too," Delilah pointed out, but Amanda was already talking.

"What's harsh is you three accusing the head of my house without any proof just because he isn't nice to you," Amanda spat. "He may not be happy, he may not be kind, but he is not evil." She looked straight at Harry, locking gazes with him to force him to see the sincerity in her eyes.

" _Don't forget where the Sorting Hat almost put you_ ," she said in parseltongue, ignoring Ron's gasp and Hermione's confusion. It was a complete guess, but she could see him in silver and green as easily as gold and red. Judging by Harry's reaction, she knew she had guessed correctly.

Amanda spun around and marched toward the castle. She knew she should be at least a little concerned with 'I-can't-keep-a-secret' Ronald Weasley knowing about her parseltongue, but she knew that bit of information would get out to the rest of the school eventually. It wasn't as if she was keeping it a secret anyway, but she knew if rumors came out the wrong way it could ruin what little she had built in her first few months at Hogwarts.

But she didn't care. _No one_ was going to assume those things about Snape, no matter the questions she had rattling around in her head. He had only ever been helpful to her, teaching her the way of the Purebloods so that she could survive her heritage.

And no matter her own doubts, she was certain he had his reasoning.

* * *

Snape was indeed in a horrible mood when classes began the day after. Throughout Potions he was particularly irritable, and later on that day when Amanda, Theo, and Draco had gathered in the otherwise empty classroom for extra lessons, Snape stormed in, going straight for his desk to search for something. There was a containment to him, though. He was still walking as silently as he always did, straight and proper yet rigidly so.

"Is something the matter, Professor?" Theodore asked in a tone that suggested he was saying the words out of politeness rather than actual interest.

"I am fine, Nott, and how nice of you to arrive today," Snape said sharply, slamming a drawer shut. Theo flinched.

"I had something important—"

"I'm certain it was of the utmost significance," the Potions Master interrupted coldly. "Shall we begin?"

"I have a question," Amanda said, standing up after leaning on a desk. Snape's eyes fell on her and she felt the weight of his anger push her down. For a second the words stuck in her throat as if the tiny, logical part of her was screaming that this was very much a bad idea.

"What did you do to Harry?" the Slytherin Heir asked at last. Theodore tensed and Draco looked from Amanda to Snape as he tried to figure out what she was talking about. Snape, meanwhile, let his anger seep out a little as she saw his body grow stiffer.

"Do you remember," Snape said, his voice painstakingly restrained, "when I taught you subtlety?" Oh yeah, she was in for it. She chided herself for going along with this stupid plan but she knew she was impatient and needed to know the answer.

"Well?" Snape pressed on, more rage slipping into his voice.

"Yes, sir," Amanda said, limiting herself from saying anything further in case that burst the balloon that was Snape's current self-control.

"You obviously didn't learn anything, so I suppose that is what we will be learning today," Snape said, getting out his wand. Amanda paled. Subtlety meant control, and she had no doubt that he had many more creative ways to teach her that than before, when he didn't look ready to hit her with a Cruciatus.

"Sir, we aren't the only ones who saw you," Theodore said suddenly. Amanda looked at him, her eyes wide with surprise at the unexpected defense. "Potter saw you too. He and his friends think you were trying to murder him."

Snape gave him a hard, cold look. "This is not the first time a student has believed I'm a murderer, and you are a fool to think Potter could do anything with what he thinks he saw. He may be the Headmaster's golden child but he is hardly persuasive."

"What did you actually do, then?" Amanda asked. Quickly, she added, "Sir."

"And why is knowing so important?" the Potions Master questioned. Amanda hesitated, trying to think of a response that would subtly explain her motives.

"Because I want to know whether to watch out for you or Professor Quirrell," Amanda told him. Theo glanced at her, confused, as Snape's jaw clenched.

"What's Professor Quirrell got to do with anything?" Draco asked.

"Nothing, if you all want to continue attending this school," Professor Snape said. His gaze had not left Amanda's equally challenging stare. Snape did not back down, however, and against her better judgement, Amanda averted her eyes first. She knew her mentor enough to understand he was not going to budge on this subject.

Talking to him about it still reassured her about his innocence. After all, she knew there was no way he was going to admit to saving Harry Potter in front of Draco or Theo, but he was also refusing to talk about Quirrell, which could only mean the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was guilty.

And with that, subtlety lessons began.


	8. Chapter 7

Jessica was _bored._

It wasn't like she spent a lot time with her sisters normally, but if they were at the house at least she could prank them or perhaps terrorize them, maybe even play a game of Quidditch if she were truly out of things to do. Instead, they were at Hogwarts doing magic while she was picking the lock to the forbidden room with a bent hair clip from Amanda's room wondering if Gran would recognize her existence today.

And if anyone caught her, her boredom would be her excuse. Not that it was ever going to work, but it was a nice thought as the door's lock clicked. The door itself didn't open, of course, despite being unlocked. There were probably a million magical locks on it. So to pass the time she imagined Fred and George trying the spells they knew would work, peeling the magical layers of locks off one by one before finally getting stuck like the three of them always would.

Thankfully, her sisters were coming to relieve her boredom. Fred and George wouldn't be able to come, unfortunately, but her sisters were due home for Christmas break within the hour.

An owl hooted through her open window. Jessica stood from her spot on the floor and took the letter, reading it immediately. She smiled when she saw Fred's very familiar handwriting telling her all about an enchantment they had found that could follow someone around throwing snowballs and that they were going to try it on Professor Quirrell specifically on Delilah's request.

She wished she could be there with them. _Next year,_ she told herself. _Next year I will be in Gryffindor with Fred and George, and the year after that I will be on the team. Or maybe even in my first year—if Harry can, why can't I?_

"WE'RE HOME!" bellowed Amanda through the doorway. Jessica strode through the house to the entry way, finding all three of her sisters plus Neville and Gran, who was glaring at the Slytherin of group.

"Honestly, Amanda! Some days I wish you had inherited your father's annoying silences." Gran said as she wobbled into the kitchen.

"Hey, Jessica, did my owl give you that?" Audrey asked, walking forward. Jessica glanced down at the letter in her hands and back up to the youngest triplet.

"Er, no," she answered. Audrey groaned.

"So he hasn't come back? I knew it! He's _always_ gone. I swear, the enchantment that keeps owls coming back to you must be broken with him."

"He'll be fine at the school anyway," Amanda said dismissively, "Jessica, guess what _I_ figured out last week!" Audrey gave a sharp glare at her sister before stomping her way upstairs.

"What's got her so angry?" Jessica asked, perplexed.

Amanda looked after Audrey as Delilah came in and set her trunk down behind her. "I don't know. Something's been dying in the forest and not knowing why has been bugging her. Typical Ravenclaw. _Anyway,_ look at this!"

Amanda brought out the glass snake she had written about. It was flawlessly cut and shiny, two things that _obviously_ meant it was worth a lot. It made Jessica ponder how much it would go for.

"Alright, watch," Amanda ordered. She took a small breath before saying something in parseltongue.

The glass snake came to life. It wriggled into an upright position and glanced around as if it were real. It said something back to Amanda, who grinned. Jessica had to admit to herself it was cool a glass snake was moving, but she wasn't going to tell Amanda that.

"So it moves. Doesn't Delilah's statue do that too?" she asked, her arms crossed. Amanda frowned. Then she said something in parseltongue.

" _Delilah's statue doesn't translate parseltongue though, does it?"_ came Amanda's voice out of the snake in English. Jessica's eyes widened a little.

"Okay, _that_ could come in handy," Jessica admitted.

"I think it can do other things, but I haven't figured it out yet," Amanda told her, finishing with a word in parseltongue that made the glass snake go limp again.

"Just a week ago you said in your letter it was just a decoration," Jessica pointed out.

"Well, Elena gave me the idea of using parseltongue but I didn't figure out the words to make it wake up until two weeks ago. A week ago was when I tested it on Draco because I wondered if it could translate," Amanda responded. Jessica raised her eyebrow.

" _Tested it_ on Draco, hmm?" the youngest Coppin prodded slyly. A smirk grew on Amanda's face.

"It included a glass snake on his shoulder and a bit of screaming," Amanda confessed happily.

"That's cruel, Amanda," Delilah said, walking past them.

"I believe you meant 'fun,'" Amanda said back.

" _Speaking_ of fun, did you hear that Remus is going to be here for the full moon?" Jessica asked. " _Finally_ I'll have someone who can keep up with me!"

"Hey, I keep up with you!" Delilah exclaimed.

"Yes, but not like Remus," Jessica said. "He may be old but he doesn't look it when he's a werewolf."

"JESSICA!" Gran bellowed from the hallway.

Amanda gave her a mischievous look. "Trying to unlock the door again?" Just as she said that Gran stomped into the room red in the face.

"You were trying to get into the room _again?!_ Just how many times do I have to remind you that it's _forbidden?"_

"I'm just unlocking the door, I can't do anything other than that, it's harmless," Jessica said with a shrug. Getting in trouble, after all, was nothing new.

"It is still forbidden!" Gran shouted.

 _What are you going to do, ground me? I'm already grounded,_ Jessica thought as Gran went on yelling. She must have been in a bad mood to get this angry.

It went on for awhile.

* * *

With her sisters back, Jessica was less bored. Delilah and Audrey were always playing in the yard, and Jessica found that a nice game of tag really woke her up in the afternoon, especially since neither of her sisters realized she had been practicing her human speed. Amanda, of course, kept claiming that it was far too cold to be anywhere but in front of the fire.

Her sisters' normal bickering had also returned, and it was fun to fuel the fire when the arguments turned into fights. Just their activity in general was more pleasant than talking to house elves or just sleeping and reading in her room all day. Not to mention she had someone to prank, which was brilliant. She had received quite a few materials for her birthday last June after all, and she expected just as much for Christmas.

Speaking of which, Christmas was coming. Well, of course it was, but each day was going by faster than she would have liked. Before she knew it, the full moon was upon them.

Remus had arrived late that evening, only allowing for a short reunion before they traveled toward the same boring forest that Jessica had called home for so long. She was looking forward to running in the Forbidden Forest at Hogwarts next year.

"Are you ready?" Remus asked. They stood next to each other as the full moon got brighter and brighter. Just a few more minutes, she knew. She could feel her hunger sparking up her hunting instincts, and she wanted nothing more than to rip through that forest with her pack and kill something tasty.

"Yes," she replied firmly, a grin of total wildness coming across her face. Beside her, Delilah looked ready to spring into action, and Audrey had her eyes closed like she was in some cliché photo as she felt the chilly forest breeze.

Jessica felt herself changing. She could have given a description of how unpleasant it was, but honestly she hardly noticed those aspects anymore.

She felt herself on all fours and howled. She spun around to face the elder wolf. He shook his lighter colored coat. His breath was as visible as the moon.

The snow crunched behind her. A horse walked past. The white wolf bounded up to her. She blended in with the blanket of white beneath them. The white wolf touched noses with Jessica, her tail wagging far too fast to see.

The elder wolf loped off. Jessica charged after him. She heard the snow crunch some more behind her. The others were following. Jessica sniffed the air. No prey sent. More traveling.

This hunt would not be a game. The snake stayed home. Tonight, they would scout and chase and kill. _She_ would kill.

They ran as the moon rose. Jessica sniffed the air. Over and over, just the smell of horse and wolf came. Just the sound of owls, and wind, and paws were heard.

Wait. She stopped. She sniffed. Deer. She liked deer. Deer was tasty. Her chest filled with energy and her legs became weightless _._ The elder wolf and the white wolf sniffed the air. The white wolf's tail wagged and the elder wolf straightened. She looked to the elder wolf as the horse's ears perked forward.

The elder wolf started forward. She and the white wolf flanked him. The horse disappeared to her right. The hunt formation. Food was coming.

She trotted along as they separated. Her heart was louder than her paws. Louder than her breath.

She slowed when the meal came into view. Three deer. She stopped. Her ears went forward. Her muscles tensed as she crouched. The forest was quiet.

A horse's screeching neigh pierced the air. Jessica charged toward the deer. The herd took off. They bounced the trees like rabbits. She tore through like a knife.

The smaller doe smelled weaker. Her legs were thin. They showed her age. That would be their meal.

The elder wolf and the white wolf closed in. Their prey was corralled. The herd went right. The horse would come. But there was no snow crunching. No labored breaths. No smell of horse. The deer sprang toward their freedom.

She snarled and asked her hind legs for all of their power. The herd veered back to the center. She lunged. The smaller doe leaped away from the buck and the other doe. She pushed herself further. Harder.

The elder wolf caught the doe's splintery leg. Jessica surged and caught the throat in her jaws. The little thing was out of her misery in seconds.

The white wolf gave a loud howl and the elder wolf joined in. They panted with wagging tails. They celebrated while she ate.

The horse only crossed her mind once. That stupid mule. The elder wolf howled, though. The howl echoed through the trees. She kept on eating. The elder wolf didn't seem too concerned.

Then he howled again. Louder. A call. She sat up. The elder wolf _was_ concerned. Her ears went forward as she listened. Silence followed.

The white wolf whined, her tail lowered. The elder wolf trotted forward. The white wolf followed him through the forest back to where they had started the chase. Jessica growled with her ears pinned back. She had worked too hard for her kill to leave it.

The elder wolf stopped and growled, standing tall. An order. Then he continued on through the mist. The sound of crunching snow followed him. Growling under her breath, she went along his paw prints and caught up to him.

A sound bounced off the snow. A horse's neighs of terror. The elder wolf took off at a sprint with Jessica and the white wolf not far behind. She howled. Hell was on its way.

She saw the horse. Her playmate. Her _packmate._ She crashed into whatever creature had its teeth into the young gray horse. Mid-air, she grabbed skin - fur - and threw the animal to the ground. She snapped at the creature. The smell of unfamiliar wolf filled her nose. A silver male smaller than any other werewolf they had come across struggled beneath her.

The beast snapped at her neck. She leapt away with bared teeth. The elder wolf rammed into him before he could get up. They growled and snapped at each other. She and the white wolf circled the battle. The fighting paused. The elder wolf bared his teeth and growled, snapping just once.

The male wolf showed his belly. He squirmed out of the elder wolf's grip. He limped with his tail between his legs. He disappeared in the forest, taking the blood scent with him.

The white wolf shouted. Jessica swiveled around to see her the white wolf in human form, and the horse too. She took a step forward and sniffed the human horse. There was the smell of blood. The elder wolf was relaxed, though. There was no fear scent from the white wolf human either. The pack was okay. The pack was safe.

The fear scent from the horse human made her take a step back, though. The human was shaking. In shock. Then the white wolf human started talking. The white wolf human was not concerned. Neither was the elder wolf. The pack was still okay. The horse usually smelled of fear anyway.

A silvery vulture flew in front of them. She growled at it, stepping in front of her packmates. The elder wolf, however, walked calmly up to it. His wisdom was showing.

The creature talked. She growled at it again. Before she could try to kill the thing, she realized it was magic. It disappeared from their sight without even flying away.

The elder wolf turned toward the horse human. The horse human was standing with the help of the white wolf human.

The humans kept talking. Then they moved toward home. She glanced to the elder wolf. The elder wolf stayed put. So she did.

Once they were gone, she she led the elder wolf back to her kill. Even while she was finally eating what she fought for, she felt uncomfortable without her pack.

* * *

Delilah had returned to the forest after dropping Audrey back at the house. As it turned out, Audrey did not show up at the edge of the forest when Jessica turned back into a human. Gran was there, though, along with Amanda.

It seemed to be one of those rare full moons Jessica didn't just simply pass out after transforming. Probably because the night had been boring after the little excitement with Audrey. So after becoming human (the horrible details of transforming spared), she just fell onto her knees catching her breath.

"Is Audrey alright?" Remus asked. He looked visibly weaker too, as he always did. Jessica found he didn't recover as well or as fast as she did.

"Perfectly fine," Amanda said, crossing her arms. "Perfectly _annoying_ too."

"Oh, hush now, Amanda, and help your sister," Gran ordered. Her sharp gaze was sent at Remus next. "What happened? Audrey was hardly useful, blabbering about something Elena told her, and Delilah left before explaining."

"A stray werewolf," Remus explained.

"Without the Wolfsbane," Jessica responded, hoping she sounded more coherent than she felt.

Remus's attention went to Gran. "How did you know Audrey was in danger?"

Delilah lit up like fireworks. "My present! It warned everyone about Audrey!"

"By howling and howling and howling and howling…" Amanda muttered, helping Jessica stand with more gentleness than the young werewolf would have thought.

"I'm so happy it does something! Now I'll always know if you guys are in danger or need help! And Gran will always know if something happens in the forest! It's brilliant!" The Hufflepuff probably could have sprouted wings with the amount of happiness rolling off of her.

The sun was far too bright by the time they walked through the front door. Jessica was left to walk on her own, which she was fine with. Just as she saw Remus collapse on the couch, she staggered toward her bedroom, thanking Merlin it was the closest room to the front door.

She shut the door just as she heard Audrey shout from her room upstairs, "I AM GOING TO SELL THIS LAZY OWL AS SOON AS I GET BACK TO HOWGARTS!"

And then she collapsed into her bed and fell asleep.

* * *

 **A/n:**

Introducing Jessica! More on her next book, but until then, I thought I'd let her get some screen time.

Oh yeah

I have a secret to tell you guys.

...

I'm American =3 (And so are like, thousands of other people in the Harry Potter fandom, I know, but I thought I'd make that more obvious than it probably already is)

I'm kind of aware British people do not call it "Christmas break" (correct me of I'm wrong) or at least it's said "Christmas Holiday" in the Harry Potter books but when I wrote that down it sounded like they were only coming back Christmas day because of the context and sentence structure around it SO I kept it the American way (or at least the way I say it).

But anyway if you British folk want to shed some light on things that I get wrong or just give me random tidbits of information, I'd love to hear it! Hearing about different cultures always intrigue me.


	9. Chapter 8

Theodore Nott was very sick of gold and silver by the time Yule came to the Nott mansion. It wasn't because of the silver and gold ribbons pinned to the walls with palatial perfection, or the silver table cloths impeccably embodied with complex gold trim. Nor was it because of the gold plates and silver knickknacks that came out just once year, or the silver baskets of apples charmed a golden color. It wasn't even the freshly-cut silver tree with, you guessed it, golden ornaments randomly organized to make it seem homely, like the Notts themselves decorated instead of the house-elves.

Theo was tired of the colors instead because of what it meant: rules. Not the normal social, pureblood rules he had to conquer every day because of his last name, but the rules of the annual 'which pureblood family can prove they're the best pureblood' event that would last well into the evening because, well, it was rude for a guest to leave early. And what made the whole thing worse that it was Theo's family's turn to host this annual party, meaning he had to follow even more rules than normal to uphold the Nott family name.

"Theodore, you mustn't look so gloomy. Our guests could arrive any minute!" his mother said, fixing whatever invisible wrinkle was on his shoulder.

"Are the Bulstrodes coming?" he asked, trying to hide the disgust as he imagined Millicent sticking to him like glue the whole evening talking about her hairless, scarred cat.

"Of course! The Bulstrodes would _never_ miss the Yule gatherings," his mother said in forced cheery voice. Theo smirked back at her.

"Because of their tendency to _borrow_ some items they find laying around?" Theo asked.

"You shouldn't say such things on Yule day," she said, but winked at him with an identical smirk.

It made him smile, remembering the story of a Bulstrode child getting caught with a one-of-a-kind statue one Yule. It had been harmless, yet the Bulstrodes were annoyingly apologetic, reasoning they needed to leave to get their child under control. A few days later, the hosts, the Greengrasses, announced some jewelry was missing and a family heirloom. No one could prove it, but there was one nearly unanimous fact: little four year-old Millicent Bulstrode was the only one seen wandering anywhere close to the rooms where the items were, and that was about when the other Bulstrode kid was caught.

Most of the other families just watched the Bulstrodes and brushed it off, but the Greengrasses and the Bulstrodes avoided each other at all costs at the Yule events.

"Your mother is right, Theodore," came his father's voice as he marched into the living room. Theo's smile disappeared as he stood up straight and watched the sixty-year old man come closer. Despite his wrinkles and silver hair, he did not seem old. With his piercing blue eyes forever alert and his tall, imposing shoulders, people always believed he seemed younger than he was.

The head of the Nott family looked down at Theo and added, "Mention a word of that when the guests arrive, and, well, I believe you are clever enough to understand the consequences."

Theo, tensing, replied obediently, "Yes, father."

"And on the topic of your cleverness—"

"Honestly, if your next words are about his mistake from _four years ago_ then you shouldn't even need to say it. Theodore has been splendidly quiet during the Yule celebrations since then and I truly doubt Lucius Malfoy remembers anything about it."

Theo held his breath as he watched as his father ready himself like a snake ready to strike, but at the last moment, he relaxed, settling to just stare at her with a sharp gaze.

 _He can't do anything when the guests are about to arrive,_ Theo realized. When he looked at his mother, who glared straight back at her husband with all the ferocity of a young woman protecting her son, he discovered his mother knew this too.

His father broke his gaze and strode toward the door while muttering to the room, "The guests will arrive soon."

True to his father's word, the house was filled with people within the next half hour. Theo reintroduced himself as many times as he could, following it with "Yes, Hogwarts is splendid" and "I'm doing well in school, particularly in potions." And when they asked about Amanda, Theo would smile like his mother spent so many hours teaching him and simply said, "I doubt she would like me to talk behind her back."

Pansy Parkinson and Millicent said things, of course, gaining a group of adults that listened carefully at what they knew about the Slytherin Heir. What was said was hardly believed by members of a family that actually mattered, however, knowing Amanda was only really friends with Draco and Theo. Not that anyone here would listen to any negative thing said about Amanda anyway. The Slytherin Heir was promoted to be perfect, after all.

After the initial arrivals, Theo glided away into a corner, standing upright. He put on a smile and settled, letting his brain absorb the information he learned in a place where he wasn't crowded by a whirlpool of noise.

The Parkinson's younger boy was there, still whining at his mother for a piece of candy like every year. The Greengrass's brought their youngest, Astoria, after saying so much about her. Theo also noticed that the ancient matriarch of the Flint family wasn't there. Theo hadn't heard any rumors about any passing family member, so perhaps she was ill?

"You stole my corner."

Theo blinked out of that state of mind and noticed his Ravenclaw cousin standing beside him. Her smile told him she was joking.

"Sorry," he said anyway.

"I see you noticed a missing Flint," Elena mused, gazing at the family with a sleepy face that resembled a comfortable cat's. "Did you see Astoria Greengrass?"

"Yes," Theo said, instinctively being pulled back to the girl a year younger than Jessica. Her beauty kept his eyes there. With skin as smooth as cream and gray eyes full of innocence, yet the feeling she knew far beyond what she let on, it was hard _not_ to stare at her.

"It's no wonder they haven't let her come until now," Elena noted. It was true, Astoria was being kept from the public eye for the same reason Amanda was; she was the step to the Greengrass's social ladder, being much prettier than her older sister Daphne. When presented, she needed to be perfect.

"Who do you think her parents are hoping for?" Theo asked, jumping back to the 'guess the best possible match' game they liked to play ever since Theo was old enough to understand. Elena tilted her head a little as Theo said, "Perhaps Draco? Lucius's position at the school and influence in the Ministry would fix the lack of Greengrass influence."

"It would be a stretch, if so," Elena told him. "Everyone knows Lucius has been preparing Draco for Amanda, and the Greengrasses hardly need the immediate wealth. Considering your father's shares and business ventures, I'd bet they're aiming for you." Theo swallowed and he shifted with unease in his stomach. It was as he always felt when he remembered important lineages applied to him.

"The cousin of the Slytherin Heir," he reminded himself out loud. Then added, "Not that I would ever pass on anything of the Slytherin family."

"No, but it isn't always about literal power, is it?" Elena asked. Theo saw her Ravenclaw peek out, and he listened intently. "Slytherin and Arisio are powerful names with rights and titles, and so now Nott is a powerful name. No magical gifts, but the Greengrasses don't care about that. They care about social climb and long lasting wealth, which the Notts have always had." There it was, the intriguing philosophical thoughts that had made Ravenclaw so desirable to Theo.

He smiled, then asked like the gentleman he was supposed to be, "So how horrible has the party been so far for you?"

Elena gave a rather bored look. "I would much rather not be reminded in the slightest of ways that I'm the product of a rebellious accident." she said. Then she gave him a look that had him very sure he wasn't going to like what she said next, "I don't think I remember you mentioning to your father about what the Hat actually told you." Theo averted his eyes.

"You caught that, did you?" he said, meaning to sound unaffected but failing miserably.

"I don't think Professor Dumbledore will hold that door open for long," Elena pointed out. He felt her care wrap around him like a hug. He relaxed, but avoided his cousin's eyes lest she see just how far he was willing to go to avoid that conversation.

"Theodore, look what Mother gave me!" Pansy shouted, striding over quickly, yet gracefully. She and Daphne surrounded him as if Elena didn't even exist. His oldest cousin gave a quick, very unnoticeable roll of her eyes before using her cat-like stealth to disappear into another corner.

"I think it's a real diamond!" Pansy exclaimed. In her hands was a golden chained necklace with a very expensive looking white gem in the middle.

Daphne scoffed. "If Amanda Arisio hasn't even gotten a diamond, I highly doubt you have one." Pansy glared at her friend.

"Amanda Arisio hasn't got anything to do with me!" Pansy snapped.

"I think it's expensive. Did she tell you where she got it?" Theo said, diverting their attention from Amanda. He realized, as Pansy started to put the necklace on, that even when talking to his friends he was doing exactly what his parents wanted. Obedient to the very letter.

Soon came part two of the pureblood etiquette rulebook: the feast. Sit up straight with a smile, eat as fast as those next to you, but never slower, for you should never look like something disgusts you. Engage in conversation only when spoken to, as was the rule that applied to those his age. And, the simplest rules even a five year old could understand, was to only speak when you had swallowed your food and to _never_ chew with your mouth open.

The meal was delicious, but Theo was having to force himself to eat it because next to him, so aptly put, was Astoria Greengrass. A constant, physical reminder of why she was put there made him tense up and almost forget the "always smile" rule.

The families were taking turns reciting what was new for their family, not all of which was actually new thanks to gossip and obviousness. Pansy's father made sure to say, "My daughter Pansy has settled in nicely to the Slytherin Dormitory" which was another way of saying 'Not only is my daughter doing well in school and in Slytherin, she is doing it with the Slytherin _Heir_.' Theodore forced himself to take a bite of food to hide his laughter.

The Flints announced that the eldest member of the family was in St. Mungo's for "reasons we would rather not discuss" which either meant Elder Flint was dying, mentally ill or, if they really wanted to keep it a secret, already dead. They also mentioned Flint's Quidditch victories, to which Lucius Malfoy drawled, "Amanda Arisio invited my son to join her to try out for the team next year, as my son told me," which could have been seen as 'the team is terrible,' or a very subtle 'your son is awful at being Captain of the team.' In another way, it was definitely meant as "look at how important my son is, being invited to join the team by the Slytherin Heir."

One of the Flint's easily came back with, "Some people on the team do seem to lack certain talent, but I would really look into getting your son a new broom if he wants to be successful. The school brooms are truly awful." Theo smirked. 'Nice counter,' he thought, remembering Draco's miserable performance against the Gryffindor Golden boy at the beginning of term.

"Excuse me!" came a surprisingly loud voice beside Theo. The table stopped. Beside him, nine year old Astoria looked up at him with her big eyes full of want.

"Er, yes?" he said. He tensed knowing everyone was assessing just how much they were going to scrutinize the little girl's loudness.

"May I have the salt please?" she asked, this time as quiet and refined as she was supposed to be.

"Sure," Theo said, giving her the little container.

Astoria didn't use it, however, until her mother said, "You must excuse my daughter, this is her first time after all." As the host, Theo's mother was ready with some cookie cutter reply no one would remember. With that, the pureblood performance went on.

Theo, for once, was not listening. A gray eyed little girl who had piqued his knack for decryption held his attention instead. To anyone else in the room, Astoria had just messed up. But if that were the case, would she have asked for the salt so perfectly?

Astoria glanced up at him and smiled. Theo quickly acted like he was more focused on eating his food, but he knew he'd been caught.

After the initial introductions and explanations, people began talking to their neighbors rather than the whole table. This meant Theo was allowed to speak. So was Astoria, but neither of them even gave a look to each other.

"You look uncomfortable," his mother finally said under her breath as a matter-of-fact. "Talk to Astoria."

Theo swallowed, and finally allowed himself to look back at Astoria. She was in a different world. It was like Elena when she was lost in some spell formula she was working on, or Audrey when she was thinking about her stories. Yet rather than being really thoughtful, she looked like she was in an entirely different place.

His mother nudged him, and he said, as he had prepared, "It's nice to finally meet you, Astoria."

She blinked back to reality, but looked to her food, ignoring him. Knowing neither his mother or father would let him just leave it there no matter how much he wanted to, Theo came up with something else.

"You don't have to worry about what happened, by the way, plenty of kids older than you have made worse mistakes," he said reassuringly, trying to push away the memory of his own mishap. She shrugged, which made Theo instinctively look for anyone who may have watched that "rude" and "lazy" gesture. No one was even paying attention to them.

"You didn't hear me when I said it before so I had to get your attention somehow," she told him.

"It's still rude to interrupt people," Theo said, taking the words right out of his father's mouth.

She gave a roll of her eyes, but once again, no one noticed. "No one was even talking, just going on about silly things." Theo laughed nervously. There were a lot more serious messages behind those "silly things" than she realized.

"So how are you liking the party so far?" Theo asked.

"It's boring, the people are dull, and this dress was more comfortable when there were needles poking out of it," Astoria mumbled. Theo must have glanced at the people nearest to them, because then she sighed irritably and said, "No one can hear us, Nott, stop acting all jumpy."

"How do you know?" Theo challenged. "All they would have to hear is a word or two."

"I'm nine, you're eleven, and all our parents care is that we get along. We're invisible," Astoria explained. Theo looked at her with a puzzled expression. How could this girl be so blunt? Didn't she know how people spoke here?

"There are expectations," he began. Her scoff interrupted him.

"They're too busy talking about Ministry elections and what the weather's going to be like for the next month to pay attention to someone who isn't old enough to be married yet," she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "But I suppose you know what they're _actually_ saying so it makes you feel smart, like you can teach a little girl like me to follow their rules."

Theo could not utter a word.

"What you _don't_ know is my parents think I need to be proper in order to catch the attention of a family worth their time, so I have spent _days_ learning what to say, how to say it, when to be quiet, when to leave, all of that. I don't need an older boy telling me—" In a blink, she went from a slouching grump glaring at her food to a proper heiress sitting up straight with her gray eyes innocent and her smile gentle.

"Astoria," said her mother moments later, gesturing to Theo's mother, "Say hello to Noira Nott."

"It's nice to meet you," Astoria said.

"You too, dear," Theo's mother said from a few seats away. "How has your first Yule been?" Astoria let herself smile wider.

"It's been wonderful! The food here is delicious," Astoria said. Theo's mother kept talking, but Theo could not stop staring at the youngest Greengrass. Everyone here became different at an event like this. Draco acted like a gentleman. Marcus Flint suddenly became smarter and nicer, for once talking about his team like teammates. Theo's father actually seemed like the perfect husband, all loving and proud like he was supposed to be.

But no one dared to let themselves go. No one yelled just loud enough to get what they wanted, but proper enough for people to dismiss it as a mistake. No one openly admitted hating this event. That, after all, was against the rules.

And Astoria was bending those rules like Theo had never seen before.

Theo and Astoria avoided talking to each other for a long while after that. In fact, they were nearly done with their meal when Astoria suddenly asked, "What's Amanda Arisio like?" He opened his mouth to recite his normal spiel, but she interrupted, "Be honest, please." Theo looked, but no one was watching. He supposed a nine-year old couldn't ruin Amanda's reputation.

"A Slytherin Heir," he said, having no clue what to else say. "Not really subtle. I suppose she's smart, too, and it's always entertaining when she and Draco aren't getting along."

"Is she like Daphne?" Astoria asked. Theo laughed.

"No, not at all," he answered. "Amanda is far more opinionated. I think that's why they hate each other. Really, the only Slytherins she hangs around is Draco and I. Otherwise she's with her sisters or Harry Potter." Astoria smiled.

"I want to be like her someday," Astoria declared. Theo looked back at his plate, wondering what type of things she grew up hearing about Amanda. To her, Amanda probably seemed like an untouchable queen.

"Er, sorry about earlier," he said after a few more bites. She shrugged.

"It's fine," she said.

He wasn't sure what that meant at all, so he spent the rest of the evening socializing as quietly and normally as possible, stealing a glance at Astoria every so often to see her as perfect as could be among the other pureblood families.

* * *

Come the next day, Theo was ready and in the family area as soon as he heard that Elena was up and getting ready. It was late Christmas morning. Theo's cousins would all be finishing up opening their presents at the Longbottom house, and then he and Elena would join them for the rest of the day.

"Excited?" Elena asked, a knowing smile on her face.

"I'm anxious to tell Amanda something," Theo said quickly. Not entirely untrue, but he really did want to get out of this gold and silver infested house and have some Christmas fudge without having to worry about how he was sitting.

"I saw you talking to Astoria last night. Is she someone worth mentioning to Amanda?" Elena asked. Theo nodded. He thought so. Astoria already admired the Slytherin Heir. Perhaps Amanda could use that at some point.

"Going to see Amanda so soon?" came his mother's voice. He turned around and smiled at her.

"It's not against the rules again, is it?" Theo joked. His mother laughed.

"If it is I'll tell your father you decided to meet Amanda at the Malfoy's for the day," she told him.

"The usual excuse?" he said.

"The usual excuse," she responded, a mischievous smile on her face. There was a small silence. Elena, as if she knew what he was about to say, vanished into the other room with the floo powder.

"Mom, if I could tell you something…" he began.

"Of course," she said.

"Well…" The words stuck in his throat and he had to focus on not looking away. If he was this nervous talking to his mother, how could he talk to his father about this? "I think you might already know this, but the Sorting Hat…It didn't want me to be in Slytherin." His mother nodded.

"You're a Ravenclaw, this is true," she said. She smiled proudly as she added, "The most clever of them all, in my opinion." Theo blushed at that.

"I'm sorry I didn't just agree with it. But if I went into Ravenclaw—"

"Your father would have a raging fit, yes, I know," she said with a sigh. "He only sees your brilliance as a tool, that idiot." Theo smiled. Something about the way she called his father names always made him extremely pleased.

"Well, obviously the Headmaster noticed that I asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Slytherin, and he told me that I could change. That I could go to Ravenclaw." His mother's eyes widened.

"Really? Is that true? That would be brilliant!" his mother exclaimed. Theo smiled awkwardly.

"The only thing is," he said before his mother could get too happy, "I need my parents' written permission." She paused, thinking hard.

"Well then," she said, "I'll just have to convince him myself." Theo stared with wide eyes. On the one hand, he was so relieved that he wasn't going to be forced to have that conversation with his father. On the other hand, it was his mother who was going to endure his wrath.

"But what if—?"

"Theodore, I'll forge the bloody signature if I have to," she said, embracing him. "I don't care what he says or does. As long as you're happy, I'm happy." He held onto that hug for a long time, feeling completely at ease in that one moment.

"Now get going before he comes downstairs. I daresay he isn't in the best of moods today," she said, releasing him. He gave her one last smile and sprang into the room after Elena.

Red and green welcomed him once he stepped into the Longbottom's living room, along with Christmas lights randomly hanging from the staircase they could see. Some parts were longer than others, uneven and not perfectly done. That was the difference between the Yule gathering and the Christmas get-together: the feeling of home.

They walked in and heard Audrey ask, "So he bought you a hat?"

Delilah giggled as she held up the wolf statue. It sported a tiny Santa hat that seemed to be made specifically for it.

"I overheard him talking about it, so I got him a tiny broomstick that looks like his own broomstick. It even flies around like how my statue moves!"

"Where did you even _find_ a thing like—"

"Theo!" Amanda announced, racing to her feet and over to him. "I was wondering you were going to show up!"

"Had to listen to a lecture from dad, first," Theo lied as he grinned.

"Hey did you get my letter?" Audrey asked, nearly running into Elena.

"Your letter? I don't think so." Elena said. Audrey sighed harshly. Amanda busted up laughing.

"Your owl is more useless than your birthday present!" she shouted in between laughs. She gained a glare from Audrey.

"Speaking of which," Elena said over Amanda's cackling, "do you think you could give me that present? Your dad's, I mean? I was going to see if I couldn't transfigure it into a necklace charm, if you want." Audrey blinked.

"Wow, okay! Thank you, that sounds perfect!" the Ravenclaw Coppin seemed more relieved than anything. "Here, let me go get it before I forget." And Audrey went up the stairs, the creaking of the wood following her.

"So, how was the Pureblood Christmas?" Amanda asked as Elena strode off to talk to Delilah and Jessica.

"The Flint's have an elder at St. Mungo's that isn't doing well, I think Pansy Parkinson older sister got that job in the ministry, and I, er, met Daphne's little sister," Theo said. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"I meant the overall boringness," she said.

"Sorry."

"So, Daphne's little sister? Is she as self-centered and bratty?" Amanda asked.

"No, actually," he said, letting the surprise seep through his voice. "She followed the rules about as good as Jessica when the adults weren't looking. I don't think she likes me all that well."

"Well I can only _imagine_ why," she said, smirking. It was his turn to roll his eyes.

"She admires you, you know," Theo told her.

"She's probably been hearing stories about me since she was five," Amanda responded with a shrug. "I wonder what those are about since none of them have actually ever seen me."

Ignoring that last part, he said, "I know admiring fans aren't new for you, but maybe that means you should be careful around Daphne? Astoria is a good witch to have on your side, but if her sister comes home and tells her how awful you are—"

Amanda gave a deep laugh. "I think she already does."

"But I mean something _really_ horrible, Amanda," Theo tried.

"Theo, I appreciate the effort, but I really doubt Astoria's gonna change her mind in two years. And besides, once she gets to Hogwarts and sees what I'm really like, I think she won't trust anything her sister has said or will say."

Theo nodded, his shoulders falling. Couldn't she see how important this was?

Just then a pounding came from upstairs. Audrey came flying down the stairs and around the corner.

The Ravenclaw ran into Jessica just as she turned toward the living room.

"Where's the letter?" Audrey demanded. Being both panicked and angry, the words came out twice as fast and harsh as normal.

"What letter?" Jessica asked, alarmed but focused.

"The one that was on my desk! Where did you put it?"

"I didn't go into your room, stupid, although now I kind of wish I had," Jessica said. "Who was the letter for? Your boyfriend?"

Amanda put forth a smirk and a tone that proved she was being purposefully aggravating, and said, "So _that's_ where you've been going."

Audrey gave them a glare and a groan/growl before rushing back upstairs.

For about a minute, everyone just started up after her.

"Does anyone know what that was about?"

"Not a clue," Elena said.

"I _really_ want to know what was in that letter," Jessica said, her longing gaze fixed on the stairs.

"Agreed," Amanda said. Theo would be lying if he said he wasn't the least bit curious.

"Well _anyway_ come see what the Malfoys got me!" Amanda shouted, and pulled him away. And so went the rest of Christmas. Playing with all of the new stuff Amanda got, a quick Quidditch game outside, and a very tasty feast with lots of laughing, teasing, and absolutely no rules


	10. Chapter 9

Christmas holiday went by quickly after that. Amanda had spent only a little time outside considering the freezing weather, though she did start testing out her glass snake whenever she could. Then it was back to Hogwarts, which meant lessons, studying, homework, studying, and more lessons (not that Amanda did _all_ of those things).

Amanda was…lonely. Audrey was in the library at an even more consistent basis than before, Delilah was not seen without Cedric unless she was in class, Theo decided now was the best time to start actually paying attention in class (which he didn't really need to do, she knew), and Elena…well, it wasn't the same as with Audrey or Delilah. And then there was Draco, who seemed more obsessed with Harry Potter than honored to be with her.

So it was nice to get together with her sisters again under moonlight and be their animal selves. Though it was still freezing, Amanda managed to find herself a warm rock to sleep on while her sisters frolicked about. She caught Audrey looking longingly at the forest and Delilah's exploding excitement when her howls were replied to by something among the trees.

Amanda slithered through the grass to her siblings, transforming into her human form when she was next to them.

"Just think, next year Jessica will be here with us strolling into the Forbidden Forest every full moon," Amanda said as a way to cheer up her sisters when they realized it was nearly time to leave. Both of them transformed alongside her, all staring at the daring forest before them.

"Do you really think it's safe to go in there?" Audrey asked. Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Yes, scaredy cat. Otherwise Dumbledore wouldn't have even hinted to letting us in there next year," she explained.

"What if that was before something dangerous entered the forest?" the Ravenclaw questioned. "What if the rules are going to change?"

"What makes you think that?" Delilah asked with a cute tilt of her head. "Did one of those books you've been reading give you scary thoughts?" Audrey nodded. Amanda just realized the extremely worried face her Ravenclaw sister wore.

"I…" she drifted off, then she sighed. "Our dad gave me a list of books to read, and I think they're just…not leaving me in a good way."

"Wait," Amanda said, "our dad actually _wrote_ you?" Audrey shrugged.

"I accidentally sent him a letter. I didn't expect him to reply," Audrey responded. Then a flash of ferocity crossed her eyes. "And he didn't even reply, really. Just gave me a list of books that may or may not help me."

"Have they?" Delilah asked just as Amanda demanded, "Why in Merlin's name did you send him a letter?"

"I told you, it was an accident, I didn't actually _want_ to give him that letter. I just ranted on a piece of parchment and accidentally gave it to my owl instead Elena's letter," Audrey explained.

"Oh so _that's_ why you were scared about Jessica finding it," Amanda mused. "Good decision, I doubt she would have ever let you forget you wrote a worthless letter to our dad again."

"Did any of those books help you?" Delilah repeated.

Audrey shrugged. "Maybe? I learned unicorns—which is what I'm pretty sure was dying in the forest—are pretty much unbeatable and that it would take extremely dark magic to catch them. I also learned unicorns have magic to keep people sort of alive, but no idea how. Oh, and let's not forget the part about the terrifying kinds of creatures that can _actually_ harm a unicorn."

"Amazing, our dad isn't useful," Amanda said dryly. "Shocking, really."

"It _is_ useful, I just haven't got all the information," Audrey countered sharply. "I probably should have read them in order, but some of these books aren't in the library so I have to ask Elena to help me find them because there's no way on earth Gran would get them for me, given some of the titles they have."

"Merlin, if you talk any faster I don't even think the hummingbirds could keep up," Amanda interrupted her. She was thanked with a very sharp glare.

"I bet you'll find the answers soon," Delilah comforted. "You're always good at finding things out." Audrey nodded.

"I just hope it isn't something truly horrible," she said, her voice wavering. Amanda had a feeling that no matter what her sister found it would scare her.

After a bit of silence, Amanda asked, "Do any of you know how to get rid of an annoying prat who won't shut up about 'getting back at Potter?'" Audrey and Delilah laughed.

"They hate each other, don't they?" the Hufflepuff asked.

Audrey gave a short laugh. "I don't think they met on the best of terms."

"Draco doesn't meet anyone on the best of terms," Amanda sighed, rolling her eyes.

"To be fair, Harry is just as much of a prat sometimes," Audrey told them. "I'm always overhearing him and Ron making jabs at Draco."

Amanda raised an eyebrow. " _Overhearing things,_ hmm?" She was given a playful shove in response.

"It isn't like I can just _ignore_ the fact I can hear so well," Audrey pointed out. "And sometimes I find out useful things, like the fact Harry has an invisibility cloak." Amanda's gaze widened as it fixed on Audrey, who had her head held high with the pride of knowing something Amanda didn't.

"An _invisibility cloak?!"_ Amanda exclaimed incredulously. "I've wanted one for years! Since when did he get one?"

"He got it for Christmas, I think," Audrey answered. "Oh! And I think he also may have encountered that mirror you and Delilah were going on about."

"Really?" Amanda asked.

"What did he see?" said Delilah.

"His parents," Audrey answered. "And Ron saw himself as Head Boy, and Quidditch Captain and a whole lot of other positions. I think I figured it out."

"Oh please don't go Ravenclaw on us," Amanda whined.

But Audrey was already explaining. "It shows you what you desire most. Harry obviously wants to see his parents, Ron wants to be remembered as something other than 'another Weasley,' and Amanda, you want to be a dragon…"

"Obviously," she scoffed.

"…and Delilah…well, I'm not sure what yours is all about, but there you go. I answered that question."

"Not that either of us were really begging for an answer to begin with," Amanda muttered with a smirk. Audrey rolled her eyes.

"Could you at least let me relish in my victory? Just a little?" she asked.

And so they went on talking about their ordinary days. Not long after that conversation was done, Professor McGonagall told them it was time to go back to their common rooms, and for once none of them complained.

Of course, Draco and Theo waited for her, both thinking she was taking extra lessons from Snape. Amanda just said a quick "goodnight," however, before rushing up to her dorm. After all, she had other things to do than listen to Draco bet on how long Harry was going to last in the next Quidditch match. So instead she nested on her bed with her mother's things, something she hadn't done since September.

She held familiar note that was crumpled at the corners because of how much Amanda read it. Being that her mother was much too above writing a diary or journal, the note was the only written account of Adrianna Arisio's life that the new Slytherin Heir actually had. It wasn't long, and it seemed more like a letter. Though, if it was, there was no indication as to whom she was sending it.

It was just a small update on a pet she must have had called Salazar. Amanda had always wondered what the pet was. At first she had thought it was a snake when her mother wrote down about how she talked to her pet and how it was finding out the most interesting things for her, but then she started talking about very specific tasks it did, like telling other people things, so Amanda decided it was an owl. It didn't make a lot of sense, but owls at least relayed information in English.

Then Amanda started to put together the pieces when she saw the sentence 'he's fragile, so of course I have to be careful.' Fragile. Fragile like glass…Amanda glanced at the glass snake curled up on her nightstand.

She had always assumed she just meant that the animal itself wasn't very strong, but now she wondered if that was true. So she said the only word which would wake her glass snake from his unanimated mode: " _Salazar."_ It shifted, blinked, and swerved its head gracefully to her, waiting for a command.

Amanda froze. How in Merlin's name did she miss this? Her _mother_ had had this gift? Was it a Slytherin Heirloom? If it was, none of the history books mentioned it. And it could record. How? Amanda supposed she just had to ask it. But who could she test it on?

The idea struck her harder than the realization of its purpose. She grinned.

The next day, after pacing in her dormitory all morning while she plotted, she trekked out of the castle and across the grounds to the Quidditch pitch, soon reaching the Slytherin section as she watched the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs cheer for their teams.

Why was she at a Gryffindor/Hufflepuff match? Well, her plan for one thing, but she was going whether or not she had a plan. See, the House Cup currently teetered on this Quidditch match. If Gryffindor lost against Hufflepuff, Slytherin was in the lead by a lot. If Gryffindor won, Gryffindor would take the lead.

Suffice to say, it was important.

But, her plan was just as important. Without looking for anyone she knew, she took her seat, reached into her coat and whispered in parseltongue to Salazar, " _Go to Professor Quirrell and record him throughout the match. Then come back to me."_

Just after it slithered down into the bleachers out of sight, Amanda saw Professor Dumbledore in the stands with the other teachers. What was even more, Snape was apparently refereeing the match, which she probably would have known if she had listened to Draco earlier. She sighed. _Well that was a waste. He isn't going to prove he's the murderer while both of them are here._

And then, once the game started, another realization: Draco wasn't with her. He wouldn't have missed the match, she knew that for certain, so she searched the stands, starting with the Gryffindor section.

There he was, taunting Neville and Ron. Merlin, he was annoying sometimes.

Ron attacked Malfoy, but the fight was drowned out by the crowd that erupted around them. Amanda looked up just in time to see Harry take a huge dive. Cedric sped toward him, but it was too late.

Harry had caught the snitch.

As the Gryffindors cheered, some of the other houses started shouting in awe. It was the quickest game in Hogwarts history. She was both impressed and disgusted. Just how could someone be that good with only a few months training?

In the end, she didn't stay long. Draco had found her, and as he put pressure on a nasty looking bump on his cheek, he decided to complain about how awful it was no teacher believed him when he said Ronald Weasley had punched him. Suffice to say Amanda just went straight up to her dormitory as soon as she could.

And when she laid on her bed, pleased with Hogwarts for making sure no boy could enter a girls' dormitory, she dozed off to sleep thinking about just what idiocy she had would have to deal with the next day with Gryffindor squarely in the lead for the House Cup, not even noticing that there was a weight in her pocket that was missing.

* * *

Audrey spent weeks going through the books her father had listed for her. The information she was getting from said books was interesting, such as the fact werewolves were too slow for unicorns. Unicorns had useful abilities too, the most relevant being that their blood's healing powers could keep a creature from death. But what _kind_ of creatures? And what did a "half-life" even mean?

That's how a lot of the information ended up being—mixed and matched. Splotchy. Incredibly important facts without any connection to one another.

She sighed loudly and fell all the way back onto the couch. An older student walked by and whispered to her friend, "Can't even handle the pressure her first year. Wonder what's going to happen in her fifth?" They giggled and went on.

Audrey _really_ hated being able to hear so well.

She glanced up at the standings, seeing her name second behind Terry Boot's. ' _Which means I'm about fourth, if Theo and Hermione have continued being brilliant. Which means I should be studying for that test I have tomorrow. And going over potions homework. And preparing what I'm going to say to Flitwick about that low grade…'_

' _No stop thinking about that,'_ she ordered herself and closed the book she had been reading on the magical qualities of different sorts of blood. She picked up her dad's list again, sighing as she figured out she had read all of them that she could find in the library. The ones Elena had ordered wouldn't arrive for a few days.

She reached into her bag, just to make sure, and brought out one final book. She knew it was there, knew she would avoid reading it, but looked at it anyway.

 _The Families Of the Founders._ It was a completely random book, but it was the first one on her dad's list with two little letters next to it: AA + AT. Whatever that meant. Audrey knew that the book would only be just another pedigree report on families supposedly linking back to the Founders of Hogwarts. She had read enough of them to know no one was really 100% certain any of the current families were related to the founders.

' _I wonder if Zacharias Smith's family is in here,'_ she thought suddenly, remembering the newspapers from early in the school year. She started flipping through the pages, looking for his name.

When she passed a page with the letters AA beautifully drawn together, she paused, and skimmed over the first paragraph.

 _The Arisio family is, in the modern day, most well-known for their matriarchy and their_ _tradition of gifting their children with names beginning and most times ending with A. However, their most significant legacy is definitely their direct relation to Salazar Slytherin, being the only family to completely retain a pure assortment of Salazar Slytherin's abilities. Though most documents about them remain hidden, a few dating as far back as the Founding of Hogwarts proves this family could be as old as the school itself. Some famous members include—_

Audrey stopped. Arisio. Wasn't that the little nickname Theo and Malfoy had used for Amanda so many years ago? Her mind put it together. Arianna Nott. Adrianna Coppin. Amanda Coppin. That's how it was in every lineage she had seen. ' _But were any of them written by a pureblood of Malfoy's standards?'_ Audrey thought. Bias. Patriarchal tradition. Everything that could get in the way of actual history.

Audrey flipped the page she was on to look at the family tree, finding the most recent generation: Anthony and Alanna Arisio along with their daughter, Arianna Arisio. Her heart must have been beating faster than it ever had before.

Arisio wasn't a nickname. It was a surname. A _family_ name, one that belonged to Salazar Slytherin. And if it was a matriarchal family…that meant Amanda, the oldest of the three, was the heir. The _Slytherin_ Heir. And it meant Audrey, Delilah, and Jessica were also related to one of the founders of Hogwarts.

However…no, the family was matriarchal. Elena was the oldest of Adrianna Arisio's children. _Elena_ was the Slytherin Heir. And if they were the only family that kept all of Salazar Slytherin's abilities, that meant their oldest sister had been keeping a very large secret for a very long time.

Audrey shut the book, simply staring at the cover for a long time. Her mind raced through the maze of information, trying to cut a straight path. Elena was a Slytherin Heir. Amanda was the pureblood's Slytherin Heir. _She_ was a Slytherin Heir. ' _I probably can't speak parseltongue because of our father's family curse,'_ she decided, concluding it to be the same with Delilah and Jessica. Even Amanda, though with her being a snake it made no difference.

Audrey quickly set the book back into her bag, telling herself to check it back into the library as soon as she could. But then she remembered she hadn't gotten it from the library. It had been the only book her father had sent with the letter.

' _He can't have just sent it so I could learn my history, he must have sent it for a reason,'_ she thought, but as her mind dove into the hundred of reasons he could have wanted her to know about their mother's family, she decided she didn't want to know. Not if there was a bigger surprise waiting within the answer.

So she decided she would leave it in the library anyway, just another book among thousands.

Still, she sat on that couch thinking about the fact she was related to Salazar Slytherin and the fact that Elena knew. So why would she want to keep it a secret?


	11. Chapter 10

" _I have returned,"_ came Salazar's hushed voice, its glass head poking out carefully from underneath her nightstand. The dormitory was empty, but who knew when someone would walk in?

" _Did you record anything?"_ Elena asked in parsletongue, the words easily forming in her mouth.

" _Professor Quirrell talked with many of his students, Professor McGonagall, Argus Filch, and Severus Snape."_

Elena thought for a second, then asked, " _Where was each conversation?"_

" _Students, in his Hogwarts classroom. Professor McGonagall, in the Hogwarts halls. Argus Filch, in the Hogwarts halls. Severus Snape, in the Forbidden Forest."_

" _That conversation, Professor Snape's,"_ Elena said. " _Replay—"_

The dormitory door knob turned.

" _Sleep,"_ she ordered the glass snake. It curled up beneath the nightstand, unseen as Elena's dormmate strode in, chattering with one of her friends.

Elena stood up and started gathering her things, being quiet about it as she gently grabbed the glass snake and put it into a small, very padded pocket of her bag.

"Where are you off to, Elena? It's still lunchtime," one of the girls said.

"The library," Elena lied smoothly. "One of my sisters needs help with her potions homework."

The other girl laughed. "Who doesn't? Well, see you later."

After saying her own goodbye, Elena grabbed her bag and made her way out the Ravenclaw common room and through the halls.

Just as she made it to the ground floor, a Hufflepuff third year saw her and brightened up. She left her friends for a moment and bounced over to Elena.

"I got an E! And Professor McGonagall even gave me 5 points for how unique it was! Thank you again for helping me! I wouldn't have even gotten a P without you."

"I wouldn't say that. All I did was help you outline. The specific individuality was all your writing," Elena said, smiling at her. The Hufflepuff girl just beamed brighter.

"Still, thank you. If you ever need anything, I owe you," the Hufflepuff said, and then bounced back to her friends as they headed toward their common room.

Elena went on toward the Defense Against the Dark Arts classrooms, thinking about when she had agreed to help that third year. The girl had been in the library nearly in tears, and Elena had just been passing by. The only thing she knew about the girl was that she was somewhat of a prodigy with hexes, and yet Elena still managed to help her through her distressed state like she had Audrey so many times before.

Not that the Hufflepuff really needed anything other than a direction. Once Elena helped the third year outline, the Hufflepuff in her had taken over and she worked as hard as she could to finish it with dedication and without a single tear in her eye.

Elena glanced around the hallway as she passed the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom she knew Quirrell used in the next period.

Elena reached into her bag and said, " _Salazar_." As it blinked awake and unfurled, she said quietly, " _Follow him and record any conversation he has with Severus Snape and anyone who isn't a student."_

The glass snake slithered into the classroom through the small crack of the slightly opened door. Elena went down through the hallway as if nothing had happened.

Most wizards would wonder if the snake needed more specific directions, but those wizards probably hadn't gone through and searched through the spells put on it. Some were too deeply layered or obscure for Elena to really understand them, but she knew enough to realize the little glass snake knew as much as the person who unlocked him, yet still needed orders to perform certain tasks.

Audrey turned the corner, walking toward her. She stopped for a second when she saw Elena, her eyes wide, but then strode on, looking like she wanted to forget something.

"Audrey? Are you alright?" Elena asked.

"Yes, er, did those books I ordered come in yet?" Audrey deflected.

"Not yet," Elena answered, figuring maybe one of the books on that list was making her anxious. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, fine," Audrey said quickly. "Gotta go to class." Then she rushed away like she was late.

Well that was odd.

Still, it reminded her of what she was going to do to the little dragon present for Audrey. So later that day, when classes were over and everyone returned to their warm common rooms, Elena went to a vacant Transfiguration classroom that Professor McGonagall told her she could use so long as she was careful.

It was dark, but not enough to leave her unable to see. So she brought out the little dragon present Audrey had gotten for her birthday and simply examined it. As she expected, a normal knick knack.

But that wouldn't make sense, considering Delilah's gift warned her about danger and Amanda's gift gave her the ability to record and translate. This gift was not normal, it just appeared that way.

So Elena picked up her wand and tried a few minor revealing spells. Nothing happened. So she tried more advanced spells. The little dragon shook on the desk, but settled. Sighing, she tried a very harsh spell, known to break more fragile objects.

The little dragon morphed into a beastly gargoyle about six inches tall for a split second before morphing back.

' _Dark magic?'_ She thought to herself. She tried an obscure spell, one invented just a few years prior for 'finicky finds.' The spell did its work, unraveling just a layer of spells, unable to reveal the rest.

' _Definitely dark magic,'_ she decided, recognizing one of the spells that reacted to the revealing spell. She reached into her bag and brought out a book on protective spells she had checked out from the restricted section on the permission of Professor Flitwick, who encouraged her to learn more about protective charms seeing as she asked about them often.

Having already read the book, knowing this object would most likely lead her there, Elena flipped to the page her hunch led her. Sure enough, there was the first spell:

 _This spell is a protective spell under the 'Dark Magic' category usually used on an object and relatively invisible to most casual searches. It is a protective spell, and can be used along with other spells without any interference or dulling of the spell's original power. Despite being a protective spell, it is considered a spell of Dark Magic because of how the spell enacts the protection of its bearer-that is to say, offensively._

Elena sighed. So it was designed to protect Audrey. Well, at least that spell was. Elena knew there were more enchantments, and the chances of them all being protective spells, dark or not, were very slim.

The Dark Magic didn't bother her; if Audrey's father was meaning to protect her, he wouldn't purposefully hurt her with a nasty spell. What bothered her was what else the little dragon present could be hiding.

Elena went on with her original plan and began to Transfigure the little object. It was harder and it took much longer than it should have because of all the touchy spells on it, but eventually it morphed into a golden coin engraved with a dragon along with the letters A.T. Elena paused when she saw the letters, but ignored them so she could focus on making a small hole in the coin.

When that was done, she took out a golden chain and a small jump ring, clipped the coin to the ring, and finally completed the necklace. The coin wasn't large, so overall it was rather light. She put it on herself out of curiosity. She didn't _feel_ any different. Still, she told herself she would wear it for a few days just to make sure there were no negative effects.

" _I have returned,"_ came Salazar's voice as the glass snake slithered on top of the desk. " _I recorded one conversation. I now have two ready for listening."_

" _Replay what you've recorded,"_ Elena ordered in parseltongue as she sat back in her chair.

" _Playing the first recorded message from yesterday evening, in the Forbidden Forest, between Severus Snape and Professor Quirrell,"_ the glass snake announced.

" _d-don't know why you wanted t-t-o meet here of all p-places, Severus…"_ came Quirrell's voice from glass snake, despite its immobile mouth.

" _Oh, I thought we'd keep this private,"_ Snape's voice followed. " _Students aren't supposed to know about the Sorcerer's Stone, after all."_

' _The Sorcerer's Stone,'_ Elena thought to herself as Quirrell went on mumbling something. Her interest transformed into excitement as she thought of the famous stone and the alchemist who made it. ' _Does that mean it's at Hogwarts?'_ That thought made her wonder if she could find it. It would be an amazing thing to look at.

" _Have you found out how to get passed that beast of Hagrid's yet?"_ Snape demanded.

" _B-b-but Severus, I—"_

" _I hope, for your sake, your plan does not include the girl,"_ Snape said coolly. Elena tensed, knowing full well where Delilah went when she was not with Cedric.

" _I-I don't know what you—"_ Quirrell stammered.

" _You know perfectly well what I mean,"_ Snape said, still calm but obviously irritated. " _I know what you attempted on Halloween."_

" _B-but I d-d-don't—"_

" _Very well. We'll have another little chat soon, when you've had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie."_

The glass snake shifted and said in parseltongue, " _That was all."_

Elena stared at the piece of parchment that had some homework on it. Right then it seemed absolutely worthless.

' _Professor Quirrell is trying to steal the Sorcerer's Stone,'_ Elena decided, once she'd pieced the information together. It was obvious, no matter how deceptive the Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher attempted to be during that conversation. Severus Snape, after all, was one of the teachers that set up a guard for the stone, according to what little Elena had overheard earlier in the term, before she managed to snatch Salazar. If Snape wanted the stone, he would already have it.

' _Not to mention Delilah. That letter she got must have been Quirrell's attempt to kidnap her and use her to get past Fluffy,'_ Elena thought. Her thoughts jumped to the unicorns, which she knew must have played a part in what was going on with Quirrell judging by the books Audrey was looking at. The answer was close, right on the tip of her tongue.

There was a knock on the door.

Elena looked up, finding Flitwick in the doorway of the classroom.

"I'm sorry, professor, I know it's late, I was just finishing up," she said, gathering her things.

"Actually, Miss Nott," said Flitwick, the tone of his voice forcing her to look at him again. Pity. But what was he showing pity for? "You have been summoned to the Headmaster's office." Elena's eyes narrowed.

"What's wrong?" she asked. She was sure she hadn't done anything wrong. Was something wrong with Delilah? Audrey? Amanda? Jessica? Theo? As the list of people went on in her head, Flitwick shook his head.

"It's about your aunt. I am afraid…I am afraid she passed away."

Elena stopped. Stopped thinking, stopped breathing, stopped seeing. What had happened? Who could have done it? Why? Her uncle was her first thought, but why now? Was Theo safe?

That thought knocked her out of her state of shock. With an expression rivaling that of a leopard with threatened cubs, she looked back to Flitwick and demanded, "Where is Theo?"


	12. Chapter 11

Amanda was under a bookshelf.

In her snake form, of course. She was resting in a hidden spot only a few inches tall and, to the passing student, she was just a black shadow beneath shelves catering to books that no one really needed.

A distant part of her knew the last time she did something similar (namely, hiding under the ottoman in the Gryffindor common room) the only reason she wasn't expelled was that no one could prove it and the Headmaster was being nice. Yet, after weeks of being in mourning over her aunt, Amanda decided not to listen to that distant part of her. She was hoping to just hide underneath the shelves to mope without being interrupted by an 'I'm sorry for your loss' or the ever so annoying 'how are you doing?'

She also thought she could catch a bit of intriguing conversation that could take her mind off of all her troubles. So far, though, there had been nothing. Even Harry Potter, who had consistently had something amusing going on in his life, had nothing new to share. He and Ron and Hermione were just studying, being normal first years for once.

The ground beneath her vibrated and lurched. At first she wondered what an earthquake was doing at Hogwarts, but then she saw Hagrid lumbering forward, carrying a load of books heavier than Amanda in her human form.

The half giant paused by Harry's table and started whispering to them. Amanda caught the words "Sorcerer's Stone" followed by some very quick, jabbing whispers and something along the lines of "come by and we'll talk" from Hagrid. Then Hagrid shuffled off. Seconds later, Ron vanished the way Hagrid had come.

Amanda was already formulating how she would skip her next class to follow them, just to find out what they knew or were going to find out from Hagrid. Then Ron came back with another huge pile of books, slamming them on the table and whispering far too loudly, "Dragons!"

They went back to quiet voices after that, to which Amanda once again wished she had Audrey's hearing abilities. Pushing that desire aside, she felt her little snake heart speed up quickly. Dragons! Amanda had always wanted to see one, but Gran had been adamant about keeping her away from them. Gran thought regular magical zoos were fine, but dragons? Absolutely not. Apparently, they were too dangerous, or at least that's how Gran made it out to be.

But she was determined to see them anyway.

So about an hour later, when the three Gryffindors packed up their bags and left, Amanda slithered out from underneath the bookcase unnoticed, transformed and meandered through the library, into the halls, toward Hagrid's house.

Once they were further from the castle and Amanda was certain no one would catch her with the Gryffindors, Amanda pranced right over beside Ron.

"So, what exactly is the Sorcerer's Stone?" Amanda asked.

Like startled cats, they spooked, and stared wide-eyed at the grinning Slytherin.

"Come to spy on us, have you?" Ron spat out. Amanda shook her head.

"Stop being so single-minded, Weasley. Ravenclaws are excellent spies, too, and you can never trust a Hufflepuff. But anyhow, I just overheard you talking and decided I wanted to go to Hagrid's too. The Sorcerer's Stone sounds important." Harry and Hermione continued giving wide-eyed looks.

Harry recovered first. "You expect us to simply lead you right into Hagrid's? You don't even know him."

"So? You said dragons, and I hear he might have one," Amanda said. "That's all I really care about, anyway." Then she spun around and started walking toward the wooden house.

The three of them dashed up to match her quick pace.

"You can't just—"

"If you really want me to, I could just let the headmaster know about that midnight stroll you took to the third corridor," Amanda said as they walked.

Hermione narrowed her eyes. "How do you plan to prove—?"

"Or I could tell Draco," she said, giving Ron a wicked smile. "Your pick."

They were quiet the rest of the way, save for their unnervingly loud glares that gave Amanda an extra spring in her skip and a widened grin.

They knocked on the door. "Who is it?" Hagrid called.

"Us," Ron, Hermione, and Harry chorused, sounding like they were talking to the teacher that had just assigned them extra work.

The door opened, but when Hagrid spotted Amanda, his eyes narrowed.

"What'ya doin' 'ere?" the half giant demanded.

"I heard you had a dragon and I want to see it!" Amanda exclaimed with a grin. Hagrid continued staring at her as if he'd find the real reason she was there on her face. She sighed. "No, I'm not going to tell anyone. No, I'm not a spy. And no, I'm not the Dark-er-You-Know-Who. Can you let me in now?"

Hermione gave an exasperated roll of her eyes. "She knows about the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid, just let her in."

The half-giant gave her one last warning look before ushering them all inside and closing the door quickly.

Amanda felt cozy. The windows were shut, the curtains were covering the windows, and there was a fire going. She hadn't felt this warm in ages, even with the summer days drawing near.

"Is this where the dragon is?" Amanda asked, and she strode over to the fire. Yep, that's where it was. A huge black egg nuzzled into the fire.

"Where did you get it?" Ron asked, striding over. "It must have cost you a fortune."

"Won it," explained Hagrid. "Last night. I was down in the village havin' a few drinks an' got into a game o' cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, ter be honest."

Amanada narrowed her eyes as she listened to Hagrid explain how in Merlin's name he was going to keep a dragon in a wooden house. Amanda, however, found the whole thing suspicious. If the stranger was glad to be rid of it, and he was gambling away something illegal…could he have wanted something?

She was about to say something when Harry asked, "We were wondering if you could tell us what's guarding the Sorcerer's Stone aside from Fluffy."

"I can't," Hagrid said.

Amanda rolled her eyes. Did they really think Dumbledore would entrust important information like that to Hagrid? Yes, the half giant was nice and sweet, but he was like Delilah. Secrecy was like a foreign language.

So while Harry continued asking pointless questions, Amanda stared at the egg and the soft flames around it. It was a lot bigger than she had imagined, and smoother, too. Completely entranced, she wondered what the little dragon would look like, how it would act.

"Snape?" came Ron and Harry's voices, splitting through her bliss. Amanda gave them a murderous look.

"Yeah—you're still not on abou' that, are yeh? Look, Snape helped protect the stone, he's not about ter steal it," Hagrid said defensively. Harry, Ron, and Hermione paled, and Amanda quickly put together what they were thinking.

She sighed irritably. "Honestly, you three think you're such great detectives. As if Snape would need something so material. He only protected the stone because he was asked, not because he needs it."

"The Sorcerer's stone can turn anything to gold and prolong your life!" Ron exclaimed. "Who wouldn't want that?" Amanda gave a laugh.

"Trust me, he does not want to live forever. He can barely stand life as it is," Amanda said, a dash of sarcasm on her voice.

"So you still think it was Quirrell trying to kill me?" Harry shot at her.

"Well, you tell me. Actually, Hagrid, did Quirrell work on protecting the stone?" Amanda asked.

"Er, well, er, he may 'ave gave some trolls..." Hagrid sputtered. Amana gestured at Hagrid with a grin.

"And we all know how difficult those are to defeat," Amanda said pointedly, as if it explained everything. They didn't say anything, but everything in their looks told her they didn't believe her. She shrugged. "Just be warned, I'm not afraid to say 'I told you so.'" Harry glared at her as he did with Draco. Unlike Draco, Amanda stared back just as fiercely.

"You're the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, right Hagrid?" Harry said, breaking the staring contest. Amanda was disappointed.

"Not a soul knows but me an' Dumbledore," Hagrid said proudly. Amanda rolled her eyes.

I wonder how long that will last, she thought derisively, and went back to watching the flames. Thankfully, for the rest of the conversation, no one mentioned Snape.

As the weeks passed, Amanda stopped by Hagrid's often enough to quench her need to see the not-yet-hatched dragon, but not so much that the right people started asking the wrong questions. Draco noticed, though. Or rather, he noticed that Harry Potter was frequently over at Hagrid's.

"I bet Potter and those Gryffindors are up to something," he said nastily to her one day, a look of a pure loathing on his face as they waded through the river of students toward Transfiguaration.

"And what is it you hope to do when you find out what they're doing? Tell on them?" Amanda asked, not even looking at him.

"If I can get Potter into trouble, everyone will see what an insufferably arrogant celebrity he's being, because he obviously thinks he's above the rules," Draco muttered.

Amanda sighed, her face scrunching into a sharp glare. "You do remember that the last time you tried to get him expelled? The time I nearly got caught by Filch and eaten by a three-headed dog?" Draco glared at her.

"How was I to know you had gone off to warn Potter?" Draco hissed.

"Common sense? Don't you remember any of those lessons with Snape? The ones about making the right friends in the right places?" Amanda snapped back.

"How is Potter the right friend?" Draco shouted back.

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived, Draco," Amanda said with a tone not too different from Snape's when he couldn't believe they weren't catching on to a certain concept. "How could he not be the right friend? Besides, he is a celebrity—a rich celebrity, considering all of the Potter wealth he inherited—"

Draco stopped dead in his tracks, cutting her off just as she heard Hermione whisper sharply to Harry and Ron, "…and that's nothing to the trouble Hagrid's going to be in when someone finds out what he's doing—"

"Shut up!" Harry hissed.

Amanda roughly grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him forward.

"I was trying to list—"

"Harry noticed, he doesn't need to wonder what you found out," Amanda snapped back, cutting off his whining.

When they were a lot further away from that hallway, she drug him into a classroom that was dark, empty, and muggy. After shutting the door, she allowed herself to meet Draco's beaming gaze.

"I told you he was up to something!" Draco exclaimed, standing with his chest puffed out.

She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows. "Oh really? Up to what? And how do you intend to prove it?"

"I bet he's going up to that oaf's pitiful excuse for a house during the morning break," Draco told her. "All I need to do is follow them." Amanda sighed.

"I'll do it," she declared. He narrowed his eyes.

"Why?" he demanded, his volume increasing as it always did when he was angry.

'Because I want to see a baby dragon.'

"Because you don't know how to make the right friends in the right places," she shot back. "And besides, after nearly dying with him, he trusts me more."

"I wasn't trying to kill you," he said at her as he picked up his bag. It was sharp, but soft enough for her to know he wasn't angry.

"Well you almost did," Amanda shot back, leading him out of the room and into the river of students.

It had been settled without words: she would go.

So as soon as class was over, Draco gave her a look, and she was off. She made sure once again that no one was watching her before nearly sprinting over to Hagrid's house, her bag clanking against her uncomfortably as she rushed.

Amanda made it to the door just as Hagrid was ushering Harry and the other two in. When the half-giant caught sight of Amanda, he looked at her suspiciously.

"I didn' send you eh letter," he said.

"I overheard Ron and Hermione talking," Amanda said quickly. "Is it hatching?" She tried to look around him to see the egg, but Hagrid was far too large to do that.

When Hagrid hesitated, as he did every time she came over, she sighed irritably and said, "I'm not evil. I just want to see a real-life dragon, Hagrid. I've never gotten to see one before!" She could have sworn something changed in his expression, if only a little.

He stepped aside to let her in and she quickly rushed to the table, where the cracked black egg settled. She could hear a creaking and a scratching. Her heart sped up far faster and her eyes lit up like the fire in the Slytherin common room.

The egg wobbled, there was a loud cracking sound, and then the egg collapsed. A black dragon flopped out, shaky on his legs as he shook his head.

Amanda must have looked like a child at the window of a toy store as the beautiful black hatchling stretched out his long, spindly wings, his orange eyes bright. He sneezed, and sparks came out. Amanda giggled.

"He's so cute!" she squealed, glancing at a bewildered Ron before saying. "I think it's a Norwegian Ridgeback, look at its spine!"

"How do you know so much about dragons if you've never seen them?" Harry asked.

"I have every book about dragons known to wizard kind. Informational ones, non-fictions, fiction ones—I even got a lawbook one time about certain cases and laws regarding dragons. That one I only read once, though. It was dreadfully boring," Amanda answered.

The dragon snapped at Hagrid's fingers, which had Hagrid talking excitedly about how it knew it's mother. But then it looked at Amanda and made a cute growling noise, tilting its head.

"Aren't you just the cutest thing?" Amanda giggled softly in parseltongue, just quiet enough for no one else to really hear her. She was sure the baby dragon had no clue what she was saying—dragons didn't understand Parseltongue, of course—but it must have liked the sound of the language, because it squealed and flapped its wings at her as if it were excited.

"I think he likes me," Amanda declared, carefully letting it sniff her hand. It tried to snap at her fingers too, but a very animalistic hiss made him shrink a little, and then let her pet him. He rubbed on her hand quite like a cat, and the noise it made while she scratched it was far too similar to a purr.

Just then Hagrid rushed to the window.

"What is it?" Harry asked.

"Someone was lookin' through the gap in the curtains—it's a kid—he's runnin' back up ter the school," Hagrid answered.

Harry rushed to the door with Ron and Hermione on his heels.

"Malfoy!" Ron shouted, almost as if he were cursing. Amanda tensed as the red head whirled around and glared at her. "What did you tell him?"

"Well after you three loud mouths nearly blew it this morning, I convinced him to let me find out what you were all up to instead of him," Amanda explained dryly. "You're welcome."

"You're welcome?" Harry shouted, his green eyes lighting up beautifully with anger. "You were going to tell him all along, weren't you? You just used your "love of dragons" as an excuse to be Malfoy's spy!"

"I am no one's spy!" Amanda hissed, narrowing her eyes. "Least of all Draco's. And for the record all I was going to do was tell him I saw you go in, have some tea, and leave. It's not my fault the idiot didn't listen to me."

"What do we do now?" Hermione asked. "If Malfoy goes to Snape or Dumbledore—"

"He won't," Amanda said, standing up.

"I suppose you are going to tell him not to?" Harry asked coldly.

"Well that," Amanda said, grinning, "and I'm going to threaten him. You'd be surprised how scared he gets when I tell him I'm going to tell his father about what he's been up to."

Ron stood up like a dog squaring up for a fight. "As if his father talk you. You're half-blood!"

Amanda gave him a wicked smile. "Come on, Ron, you heard me speaking Parseltongue right in front of you. Don't you think that would be at least a little important to a mostly Slytherin population?"

Ron seemed to have the need to think about that one a little bit.

"Anyway, I'm going to catch that prat before he makes it to Snape. See you, baby dragon!"

After a wave to the newborn dragon, she skipped out of Hagrid's hut and rushed across the grounds after Draco. Amanda knew he wouldn't go straight to Snape—he was too Slytherin for that. But then again he had ignored her order, and that was very unlike him, so who knew what he would do?

Draco had conceded, eventually.

Amanda visited Hagrid's hut even more after it was born. She met Harry, Ron, and Hermione there a few times as they discussed what to do, but she hardly listened. Norbert (the name Hagrid had given the dragon), after all, had taken to her, rubbing up against her hand whenever she came over before intently listening to her parseltongue. According to Harry, it was the only time the little baby was not snapping at someone or trying to set something on fire.

And then the shoe dropped: Harry had convinced Charlie Weasley to take her new friend away.

"You can't!" she cried, startling Norbert.

"We have to," Harry told her, standing firm. "Hagrid will get into trouble otherwise."

"I've been training her!" Amanda tried. "She knows not to use fire and she hardly snaps at anyone anymore!" 'Training' was the wrong word. It was more like correction followed by coaxing followed by petting. And yes, Amanda knew it was a female dragon. She had told Harry, Ron, and Hermione as such but neither of them had decided to correct Hagrid.

"She'll get bigger," Hermione pointed out. "Sooner or later someone is going to notice."

Amanda had continued to argue, of course, but she accepted it in the end. Better Norbert be taken to Romania than caught by the Ministry and killed, as she had heard was the fate of many unruly "monsters."

She said a good-bye to Norbert that day, and then refused to go and see her. Not even when Harry came up to her and asked, "Perhaps you could help take her up to the tower? She would follow you. It would certainly be easier than carrying her up."

Not that she wasn't interested, of course. Harry meant adventure. But she knew if she saw Norbert again she wouldn't want to leave her, and the hurt in her heart would be twice as painful. Her decision not to go turned out to be a good thing, though, as Theo, who had barely spoken in weeks, told her one day after class, "Draco's planning something that has to do with Potter. Whatever you do tonight, don't be next to him."

The day after Norbert's supposed departure, completely depressed as she thought about the baby dragon being harnessed and carried through the night, she passed the hourglasses recording the points on her way to potions. She couldn't help but stare when she saw 150 points were missing from Gryffindor. Just what had happened the night before?

There were also other facts that started flooding her mind. If they had been caught, which seemed the only reason 150 would be taken, that obviously meant they left the Invisibility Cloak somewhere, didn't it? Springing like a fawn, Amanda retraced the planned route Harry had told her about, momentarily forgetting her loss.

For the longest while, she started to lose hope. There were so many stairs. She also considered that it could have been invisible, which meant she would never find it. But then, after sneaking in to the astronomy tower, she found it.

Amanda snatched it with glee, stuffed it in her bag, and hopped down the tower and back toward the dungeons.

She would be late for Potions, but did it really matter? Harry conveniently made it so no house other than Slytherin was even close to winning the House Cup, and now she had his invisibility cloak. What could possibly be better?

Draco was officially an idiot.

Amanda learned this after Potions class, at the beginning of her special lessons with Snape, when the potions master stared straight at Draco and asked, "Did you at least aim to do something intelligent last night or was being played a fool your sole intention?"

As the lecture commenced, Amanda realized Draco had ignored her warnings and threats again in an attempt to catch Harry in the wrong and instead was caught himself, costing Slytherin twenty points. The nerve of him! She got her revenge a few minutes later when Draco asked her to back him up on the fact Hagrid had been keeping a dragon. She promptly told Snape she had no idea what he was talking about.

The lessons were a lot easier because of Draco, though. Draco had problems with some of the more obscure lineages (he had an attention issue, particularly when he was embarrassed or angry), so when Snape specifically focused on that to punish Draco, she really didn't have to pay attention at all.

Afterword, she skipped on down to the Chamber of Secrets, greeting Bozhidar with a smile before diving straight into the story of what had happened in the last few days.

"I see," Bozhidar said when she finished, his voice a pleasant hum. He was amused. "You are proud, then, of avoiding punishment?"

Amanda nodded. "50 points taken and detention sounds absolutely horrible. I still wish the baby dragon wasn't gone, but I guess it's for the best." She shrugged at the end of her sentence, kicking at a loose rock as she remembered how cute Norbert looked when she was curled up sleeping, her tail wrapping itself around her.

"I am glad I am no longer being replaced by an unintelligent runt," the basilisk told her, a hint of jealousy in his voice. She smirked.

"Dragons are pretty intelligent," she pointed out, if only to hear that shift of tensing muscles. A dark sound escaped him, telling her she'd hit her mark. Making things angry was so much fun.

"Not at that age. And they are far too proud for what little they have to do just because they can breathe fire," the giant snake sneered. "I am a far more venerable beast. Humans can't even look into my eyes without dying."

She grinned at his irritation.

"But you can ride a dragon," she pointed out.

"Hmph. And die in the process?" he asked curtly. She shrugged again.

"I bet if you spend enough time with one they would let you," Amanda told him. She remembered all the dragon books she had bought, been gifted, and read. She probably knew all there was to know about dragons from books.

The amused hum came from Bozhidar again. "You are quite attracted to them, aren't you?" She nodded, absently rummaging through all of her memories of the books and all the figurines she had gotten for her birthday and Christmas.

"That's what I want to be when I grow up," she declared. "A dragon tamer." She had wanted this for as long as she could remember. She remembered playing "Dragon Tamer" with her sisters, where Audrey and Delilah would shift into their forms and pretend to be dragons while she pretended to be a tamer and proceed to tame both of them (not to say she never played the dragon. Usually that was when the dragon won an important battle, though). She remembered one of her birthdays being a complete dragon tamer theme.

Not that there was such thing as a dragon tamer, of course. The closest thing was what Ron's brother Charlie did: research and care. But she didn't just want to care for them. She wanted to befriend them. Become equals, so she could learn from them. A species that old must have had amazing things to share. Plus, dragons.

The basilisk chuckled. "Ironic."

"Why?" she asked, back in the land of reality. But he didn't answer, and Amanda had long since realized arguing or trying to pull the information out was worthless. He would never budge.

"So how does an ignorant half-giant come across a dragon as rare as that?" Bozhidar asked.

"Hagrid was just down at the local pub, and some man put it out when they were playing cards," she said, shrugging.

The basilisk shifted nervously as he asked, "Is that not suspicious to you? Hagrid holds many secrets."

"How would the stranger know that? All he would be able to glean from Hagrid's love of dragons is his love for extremely dangerous pets—"

Oh.

"Fluffy," was all she said, her shoulders falling. How had she not realized this before?

"If an enemy were to know what they were looking for, getting the half-giant to speak would not have been hard," Bozhidar confirmed. "Even how to get past the three-headed mongrel."

"But if Quirrell or whoever wants the stone already knows how to get past Fluffy, then why doesn't he already have the stone?" Amanda asked.

"There are other tests the enemy may not know how to get past. There may be a certain teacher who is watching him and preventing him—the Headmaster, also. Though, I can't help but remember just who, out of your little group, knew how to calm the three-headed dog first."

"Delilah," she breathed, her eyes widening. She had nearly forgotten that her sister was seeing Fluffy on a daily basis. "Do you think she's in danger?"

"No, the professors are keeping a sharp eye on her," Bozhidar told her.

"They are?" she asked, but started going back through her memories. It was obvious. Everywhere she went there was a teacher close behind. Down the Charms hall, Flitwick followed her a few feet behind pretending to read as her sister walked. While she walked back to the common room with Cedric, Sprout was following with a plant in hand. She had even seen Snape glaring at her down the hallways, particularly when she was headed from Defense Against the Dark Arts.

So she asked, "Do they know why she's being targeted?"

"I cannot know for sure," the basilisk told her, "but I believe they were alerted when they saw the fake letter on Halloween."

Amanda's mind was spinning. Out of the three of them, Delilah had seemed like she was leading the most normal school year. But if this were all true and the enemy was being hindered by her, she was right in the line of fire.

"Should I tell her?" Amanda asked. Then she shook her head. "No. That would worry her. And if she knows all that I know, she could be even more of a target."

Bozhidar gave his amused hum. "You will become a grand Slytherin Queen one day, Arisio."


	13. Chapter 12

Audrey glided down the corridor toward the owlery with several large books in her hand. Only one had to do with her father's list. The others were library books-studying tools. Exams were coming up, after all, and she was still managing fourth behind Theo, Hermione and Terry Boot. Her goal: third place behind whoever wanted to be second and first.

Still, she was going to the owlery in a most likely futile attempt to get more information from her father. Audrey knew it would be worthless. At best, sending the list meant he was sparing her enough attention to test her, hence _only_ giving her a list. At worst (and the more probable reason), he had sent the list to keep her from writing him back. She knew this, yet he seemed to be the only one willing to help her who knew anything about the dying unicorn considering the teachers refused to say a word. She was ready to try anything to get that information, even if she was just wasting her time.

She stopped dead when she heard a strong, arrogant version of Quirrell's voice through one of the empty classroom doors.

"…I don't know what you mean—"

"Unlikely. I have personally spoken to all of the professors. Severus seems convinced." The voice was vaguely familiar. A teacher for one of the elective courses, probably. It was adult and male, for sure. Audrey made herself look as normal as possible as she slowed down and opened a book.

"Trusting Death Eaters now, are you?" Quirrell snapped.

"Stop pretending you aren't one," the other teacher growled with irritation thick in his voice. "Did you think I met with you to be lied to?"

"I think you came to play the hero," Quirrell spat out. "To get credit for something you don't deserve. But it won't work this time _._ This is _my_ place, _my_ purpose, and nothing you say or do or threaten will change my mind."

Audrey tensed. These two teachers had history. A very dark history.

"Oh? I know a few things about you, Quirrell, that could have you sent to trial in an instant."

"None of which you could prove or I would have already been arrested," Quirrell sneered. It sounded like Amanda when she was in her particularly irksome 'I-will-make-everyone-around me-as-angry-as-I-am' moods.

"Audrey?"

Speak of the devil. Audrey's Slytherin sister swung in front of her with a smile of a pleasant surprise.

"Hello, Amanda." Her voice sounded distant with all the thoughts storming in her head. She tried to listen on the teachers, but Amanda interrupted.

"Where are you headed?" her long-haired sister asked.

"Oh, er, the library. I was going to drop a letter to Gran off at the owlery, though," Audrey answered. A part of her hated how easily she could slip a lie like that in, but the last thing she wanted was Amanda telling her how stupid her plan was. Though, at the same time, she was a bit proud of herself when Amanda didn't recognize her fib.

"I'm going to the library too! Potions essays are impossible. Want to go together?" she asked. Audrey tilted her head. What had made her sister so happy?

"Sure," Audrey spoke, and off they went.

As usual, Audrey's owl was gone, so she had to use a school owl that looked quick and strong enough to handle the longer distances considering, for all Audrey knew, her father could have been on the other side of the world.

Then she followed Amanda to the library, where she instantly told her sister about what she had overheard. Amanda, however, didn't seem concerned.

"We already know Quirrell's trying to frame Snape for something. At least someone else realized he's evil too."

"But what about the other teacher? He sounded ready to murder Quirrell," Audrey murmured.

"Good!" Amanda exclaimed. She sighed when Audrey stared at her. "What? It sounded like it was about getting the Defense Against the Dark Arts job. Which, good luck, by the way. Snape has been here much longer and deserves it much more."

Audrey nodded. Perhaps it was just a heated argument. She did tend to let her imagination run away with her sometimes. She shook her head and shifted her books, trying to find the one that she needed to study with. Amanda rolled her eyes when she saw the book about unicorns.

"How many books are you going to have to read before you give up?" Amanda asked.

"As many as it takes for me to figure out what's going on," Audrey told her. "One of the books Elena helped me get mentioned something about their blood, but, it was not particularly clear on what the blood of a unicorn does."

"Why don't you just sneak into the forest?" Amanda asked, opening up her Potions book. "You could probably find out a lot more by actually poking around."

"Like Harry? I'd rather not cost my house 150 points and serve detention while every student at Hogwarts is talking about me," Audrey whispered heatedly. She wasn't about to admit the more important reasons to avoid the Forbidden Forest: it was against the rules and scarier than any forest Audrey had been in. Who knew what was lurking beneath those trees?

"That's it!" Amanda exclaimed, causing Audrey to jump, startled. Her poison green eyes were shimmering.

"What?" Audrey demanded as her sister beamed at her like she had just invented a new potion to cure all magical diseases.

"Harry and the rest of them have detention tonight in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid! You could sneak in with them and look for the unicorns!" Audrey swallowed. A teacher certainly made it seem safer…

She shook that thought out of her head. "Amanda, I can't exactly sneak in. I think Hagrid would notice if he's got an extra student with him." Amanda grinned a mischievous grin that rivaled the Weasley twins'.

"Not if you use an Invisibility Cloak," she declared. Audrey raised her eyebrows.

"And I suppose you have one?"

"Sure do! It's under my bed at the moment," Amanda told her. Audrey's jaw dropped, forcing Amanda's grin to widen. "When Harry was caught I knew he must have forgotten it. So, knowing where he was going, I just retracted his steps and decided to _borrow_ it. You know, for safekeeping." The look of prideful glee told Audrey it was definitely not for safekeeping.

"I am _not_ using a _stolen_ Invisibility Cloak to sneak into detention in the middle of the night to go into a _very_ forbidden forest where I will most likely get eaten alive," Audrey hissed, running out of air at the end.

"HA! I knew it!"

There was a flash of ginger, and suddenly they were face to face with a Weasley. A Ronald Weasley. Amanda's face flipped to a sharp scowl as the redhead pointed his finger at her.

"Knew what, Weasley?" Amanda asked. She seemed more concerned with trying to make Ron explode through her glare than the actual answer.

"That you stole the Invisibility Cloak!" he shouted. He received a sharp "shh!" from a student a few tables down. Ron didn't even spare the student a glance.

"Harry was the idiot who left it," Amanda blithely pointed out.

Ron grew redder. "I'm going to tell him!"

"Alright. Let me know if you two come up with a way to steal it back."

Amanda's grin returned as Ron stood before her, his fury rendering him speechless. Audrey rolled her eyes. Amanda enjoyed pushing everyone's buttons, particularly those biased against Slytherin. Audrey let it go on for a little while, then she sighed.

"Amanda—"

"Harry could go to Dumbledore!" Ron declared, cutting off Audrey's warning.

Amanda gave a laugh as she said, "And tell him what? 'I accidentally left my Invisibility Cloak up in the astronomy tower before I got detention?' I don't know if Dumbledore would really like Harry to have a way to continue sneaking around."

"You were sneaking around too!" the Gryffindor sneered. "You could have kept them from getting detention!"

Amanda opened her mouth to defend herself right as the librarian rounded the corner like a bull, shouting under her breath, "Alright, out with you! I will have no shouting in my library!"

Amanda grinned with pride as the lady shooed Ron off. Then the librarian turned on her, and her smile disappeared.

"I heard you too!" the librarian hissed, and she pointed toward the door.

"But he was harassing me!" Amanda claimed with a fake tearfulness clinging to her voice.

"It sounded like a fight to me," the librarian growled, and Amanda's shoulders fell. As she got up to collect her things, Audrey followed suit. The librarian shook her head. " _You_ don't have to leave, dear. I heard no words from you." Audrey glanced at Amanda, who bore a rare, pleading look. The Ravenclaw sat back down, mouthing a quick 'sorry' to her sister. Amanda, rolled her eyes in frustration and stomped away, obviously irked.

Audrey felt bad for her. She really did want to spend the afternoon with Amanda. Yet, she needed to study if she was going to get third, and she needed to get third.

* * *

Later the next day, once again on her way to the library, she ran into another one of her problems: Elena. She had tried hard to ignore her discovery, but how could she? Elena had lied to all of them and, though it made no sense whatsoever, the younger Ravenclaw could not help but feel it was her older sister's fault that Audrey had found out she was a Slytherin Heir.

 _A Slytherin Heir._ Audrey could still only barely believe it. It was one thing to be a Slytherin. Audrey didn't mind them unless they were being arrogant and antagonistic. But being a Slytherin Heir was a whole different category. He was a _founder_ , and she was related to him.

Audrey, with great mental difficulty, pushed those thoughts aside as her oldest sister strode forward. Audrey was frozen. Usually, this was the moment where she found an excuse to be elsewhere, away from Elena. But something kept her rooted.

"Here," her older sister said, handing her a golden chain with a gold, dragon coin attached. Audrey gasped, remembering she had given her sister the little dragon present over Christmas break.

"Wow, Elena, I forgot all about this!" Audrey exclaimed, examining the coin closer. There were intricate symbols and other objects carved into the metal, but it was the dragon that drew her attention. Instead of a poorly painted toy, it looked regal. Powerful, even.

Elena nodded. "I had it done a few months ago, but…"

Remembering what happened a few months ago, Audrey gave a weak, hopefully inspiring smile. It probably failed. She didn't know what else to do, though. Their aunt—and Elena's adoptive mother for the past several years—had _died,_ and judging by Elena's pale face and dark eyes, she was still not over it.

"I found some protective spells on it," Elena told her, straightening herself as if in an attempt to look better than she did.

"Protective spells?" Audrey asked. Perhaps it wasn't useless. She put it over her head, letting it rest around her neck. It was cold, and other than the weight of the coin on her chest, she didn't feel any different. Elena shrugged when she caught her expression.

"See you later," she said, her voice soft. She started to walk around her, down the hall.

"Wait!" Audrey said before her brain told her why she was telling Elena to wait. When it did, and Elena turned, she hesitated. Her older sister was already not in the best of moods. Audrey grew nervous as Elena gazed at her.

"Oh, er, nevermind, I forgot," she lied quickly. Elena gave her a look that said 'do I look that dumb to you?'

"What is it?" she asked. The tone she used made Audrey certain she wasn't going to accept another lie. Not that she could come up with a good one anyway.

She took a few steps closer and said as quietly as she could, "Are you the Slytherin Heir?"

Elena tensed, and Audrey prepared herself for very harsh words. Yet, she only said, "No." Then she spun around gracefully and started back down the corridor. Audrey stared. And stared. And stared.

' _What?'_

She tried to sort through what she knew to try to make sense of the answer. Arisio was the name that was connected with Slytherin. Elena was an Arisio no matter who her father was.

Audrey's shoulders fell as she realized what must have happened. No wonder Elena had answered so coldly.

"I _knew_ there was something strange about your family!"

Audrey's heart stopped. She turned, stiff as a board, to see none other than Ronald Weasley standing in front of her. There was a grin akin to Draco's on his face.

"You're all related to Slytherin! No wonder you're always with them," Ron said icily. Audrey was far too deep in her own thoughts to hear that comment. He _knew._ Ron Weasley knew about their relation to Slytherin, and he was sure to tell anyone who would listen.

"Ron, please don't tell anyone," Audrey said, finding her voice. It was weak, but she managed.

"Give me the Invisibility Cloak," Ron told her. Audrey sighed. He chose _now_ to blackmail like a Slytherin?

"I can't get the cloak unless I say I'm going to the Forbidden Forest," she said quietly, hoping the passing students didn't hear her.

Ron blinked dumbly. "Aren't you?"

"No, that's against the rules," Audrey said, her eyes narrowed in confusion. "Why? What was your plan?" He looked sheepish then.

"Well, er, I thought you were going to the Forbidden Forest, so I thought I would force you to let me go and then give me the cloak."

"Why do you want to go into the forest?" Audrey asked, completely bewildered. Ron's face changed from dumbfounded blankness to fierce determination that nearly knocked Audrey off her feet.

"I heard what you and Amanda were talking about. There's something dangerous in that forest, isn't there? And Harry and Hermione are going straight for it."

"You want to protect them? Why not just warn them now?" Audrey asked, subconsciously applauding the Weasley on his eavesdropping skills.

Ron's shoulders fell and he sighed. "I tried, but they won't listen. They're both still horribly upset about getting detention." Audrey's face relaxed as she nodded.

"So that's why you've been sneaking around. Harry and Hermione don't care about Snape anymore," Audrey said. Ron narrowed his eyes.

"Amanda told you, didn't she?" he said, the harsh edge creeping back into his voice.

Audrey held up her hands and told him, "I only know what happened at the Quidditch match. Amanda won't to tell me anything about what got Harry and Hermione into trouble." It was rather irritating, actually, that her Slytherin sister refused to even give her hints. Audrey supposed it was important and dangerous, and that was why Amanda didn't tell her.

"I'll tell everyone," Ron said, though not nearly with as much conviction as before. "I'll tell everyone about you being Slytherins if you don't take me to the Forbidden Forest and give me the cloak." Audrey gave her most pathetic look to the Gryffindor.

"Can't I just give you the cloak and be done with it?" Audrey whined. She huffed right after, though. " _No,_ I can't, because Amanda would see right through my lie and then force me to tell her everything." She glared at Ron. "How come everyone who gets near you and Harry end up breaking the rules?" Ron gleamed, taking the question as a badge of pride.

"Come on, Audrey. Where's your sense of adventure?" he said. "Let's talk later about a plan." Then he turned and nearly skipped away, his chest puffed out like the lion he was.

Truth was, there was a part of Audrey that really did want to go on this adventure. A small part, one that totally ignored the voice screaming in her head: "WARNING: BAD IDEA!" and then the million reasons why it was a bad idea. She was breaking the rules, there were scary monsters, she could get detention, she could get expelled, there could be a vampire or a boggart or snakes or flesh-eating trees…

She stood up, shaking those spiraling thoughts out of her head. She wouldn't follow that voice. She was going to follow the voice that instead said, "Find out what is killing the unicorns!" It was only followed by all of the possibilities and strange ways the unicorns could thank her. That made her smile, and when she wandered back toward the library, she began daydreaming about magical things rather than scary things, for once.

* * *

That magical fantasizing lasted, perhaps, a day. Then the reality of what she had agreed to hit her: she was going to be breaking several major rules in one night, and she was doing it by _choice._

It had happened too fast for her to back out, though. Amanda gave her the cloak during a class they had together, and it stayed in Audrey's bag until she went back to her dormitory and hid it under her bed. Then, the next day, Ron found her and told her his plan. It was a weak plan, but a plan nonetheless.

And then, the day of, all Audrey could think about were each of the rules she'd be breaking, and every possible scenario Ron's plan would fail. Before she knew it, it was time to sneak out of bed, grab the cloak, and tiptoe out of the dormitory, through the common room, and down the tower's long winding steps.

Audrey was very thankful for her good hearing. She knew she was invisible, but her heart was still pounding and she twitched at every sound. Knowing how far away those sounds were helped her get down the towers to meet Ron, who was red with some mix of worry and anger.

"You're late! They're already over to Hagrid's!" he shouted. He somehow managed to be quiet while he did it.

"Well, I'm being careful!" Audrey said to her defense.

"You have the invisibility cloak! Who could possibly catch you?" he told her, with infuriating logic.

"Oh, just come on before we lose them!" Audrey hissed.

As Ron got under the cloak with her, she played with the idea of going back to her dormitory. She knew it was possible. Ron could go into the forest and get himself killed and she would be in bed, sound asleep.

' _Except,'_ she thought, ' _I won't, because I'll be wondering about what would have happened if I'd gone, and I'd be very disappointed in missing an opportunity to study the unicorns.'_ She sighed. There was no way of getting around this.

Unfortunately, by the time they were on the Hogwarts grounds, it was silent and still. Hagrid had apparently already lead them into the forest.

"Now what do we do?" Ron asked. Audrey ignored him and lead him to the edge of the forest. Her flight instincts were creeping into her mind, telling her going in would lead to certain death.

"Look!" Ron said, pointing at the ground. There was a shimmering splotch on the ground; silver liquid—definitely unicorn blood. She bent down, shoving the Invisibility Cloak off of her as she examined it.

"There's a trail," she noted, standing back up again. "It must be hurt. That must be what Hagrid has sent them after."

"Why are unicorns so important?" Ron asked. Audrey narrowed her eyes, glancing at him.

"How do you know about the unicorns?" she asked.

"You said something about unicorn's blood in the library," he told her. She rolled her eyes. She would have to warn Amanda and Delilah to be more careful about where they spoke about Jessica's condition.

"I heard one die one day, and none of the teachers are telling me what killed it even though I know they know," Audrey answered. Ron seemed to contemplate this.

"Let's follow it," Ron said firmly, as if his words made it law.

"Do you even care that there are more than a hundred kinds of magical creatures in that forest waiting to eat us?" Audrey asked. As if to prove her point, a loud howl seeped through the air. Or was it the wind? She gave a glance up to the moon. It was half covered in clouds, but she could tell it wasn't full, thank Merlin.

"Harry's in there too," Ron huffed. Audrey shook her head as she lifted the cloak over her head.

"Just try not to be a Gryffindor and get us killed, okay?" Audrey said. Ron looked genuinely confused.

"What d'you mean?" he asked. She ignored him again and casted Lumos. Then they went on walking.

They went in silence. Except, there wasn't silence. Audrey could hear every snap of a twig, every shuffle of leaves, each whisper of the wind. It made her jump each time, much to Ron's displeasure. The clouds also didn't help when they creeped over the moon, plunging the forest further into darkness. The trees loomed over them like black, silhouetted hands waiting to snatch them up. Audrey tried to ignore it all.

There was one sound in particular that had her tense up every time she heard it. There were footsteps. Heavy footsteps. Hearing them made her cough as if the mist were putting pound after pound of pressure on her lungs.

"The trail," Ron gasped, pointing down at the blood that sparkled under the light being emitted from Audrey's wand. "It splits!"

"It must have been thrashing around," Audrey explained.

"But it goes in two different ways! How do we know which one Harry and Hermione went down?" Ron asked. Audrey bent down again, seeing shoeprints. She had seen a few on the way over, but it was rather hard through all the mist and the mud to follow them.

Still, she saw what was unmistakably Hagrid's big bootprint. Two smaller prints followed him, while the two others went the other way, followed by gigantic pawprints. Audrey hoped that meant Hagrid owned a dog.

"Hagrid and two of them went that way. Two others went that way," Audrey told him, pointing to illustrate. She suddenly wished she had Delilah's scenting abilities. She pointed to where Hagrid didn't go. "I say we go that way. Knowing how scared Draco is of forests, he would demand to go with Hagrid. And knowing how much those two hate each other, Harry would go the other way."

Ron nodded. "Harry would have been brave and volunteered to go without Hagrid."

Audrey doubted anyone could be that brave in this cold, black forest, but she refrained from telling the ginger Gryffindor that.

"Come on," was all she said before following the two tracks with the dog prints.

Audrey was very thankful for the full moons she had spent in the forest with her sisters. She was better able to navigate the dark roots sticking up out of the ground and the thorny vines that wove through the undergrowth like traps. It certainly made things faster, and she knew she was calmer considering she was able to decipher what was normal night-forest sounds and what was not.

And then she heard something that definitely did not belong in a normal, magic-free forest.

"Ron!" she hissed breathlessly, grabbing his wrist as she shook.

"What?" he asked irritably. "If we stop now we might not catch up with Harry and—"

She dove to the ground, pulling him down with her as something zipped over their head, sharp as a needle. The heavy footsteps surrounded them on one side, and there was the quick creature. The one she could only see out of the corner of her eye.

" _Kill the traitor! Kill the False Master!"_

' _Not human!'_ Audrey's brain shouted at her. A million suggestions went through head on avoiding death: running, using a spell from her very limited knowledge, running, charging at it, running, or perhaps running—

"Grab the cloak and hold on," Audrey said, shoving her wand in the pocket of her robes.

"What—?"

Red sparks flew into the sky. The creatures attacked. Audrey grabbed his arm and hauled him over her back. She stood, transforming in between the motion. Once she felt all four of her legs on the ground, she took off at a gallop, becoming nothing but a gray streak among the blackness of the forest.

Trees zoomed by in a blink. Rocks shifted beneath her, bramble blocked her way, and trees clustered together, but she still ran. Even when she realized Ron was shouting, she didn't stop. She was putting as much distance as she could between those monsters and her.

Audrey's depth perception failed her. She leaped and her hooves fell several feet further than she thought they would. She flailed, trying to find solid ground, and somewhere in her blind panic she realized she was falling. Audrey forced herself to shift. She landed on Ron with a thud. Thankfully, she was in human form.

Ron groaned. Audrey, thanks to the forced shift, felt like she had a sunburn all over her body. She sat up, her dark hair matted and tangled around her as a sharp pain shot through her shoulder. ' _Please don't be broken. Please don't be broken,'_ she begged. The last thing she needed was to explain this nightmare to Madam Pomfrey.

"What," said Ron, "was that?" His voice was raw and shaky. How loud had he yelled? What had heard him?

"Those things were going to kill us," Audrey told him. It was easier than explaining it to him.

"But you—you turned into a horse!" Ron exclaimed. He looked at her like she was a stranger.

Audrey swallowed. She didn't want to say anything. Her mind was still sorting through other things like how in Merlin's name she was going to get out of the forest alive. Besides, if Ron told anyone—

She gasped.

"Don't tell anyone!" she begged him. The familiarity of the situation dawned on her for only a second. "Please, Ron! No one can know I can do that, not even Harry and _especially_ anyone else! This is a very important secret! Please, I'll—I'll do your potions homework for a year!"

"What is it that you even do?" Ron asked, the shock being replaced by curiosity and amazement. "Dad said turning into an animal is difficult magic!" Audrey nodded, the adrenaline keeping her thoughts muddled and her muscles from hurting. As each second went by, however, the fall's damage became more and more apparent.

"It's some rare family curse, I don't know," Audrey told him swiftly. "Listen Ron, you can't tell anyone. Not the teachers—not even my _sisters."_

"They're normal?" Ron asked. Audrey nodded again.

"Yes," Audrey said, thanking Merlin her lie worked on him. She didn't even know why she was lying. Why didn't she want her sisters to know that Ron knew? ' _Oh, that's right,'_ she thought, ' _Elena would be very disappointed and_ _Amanda would never let me forget it.'_ "It's just me."

Ron was quiet for a few moments. He seemed to have accepted it all. Then he said, "What did you mean by doing my potions homework?"

Audrey rolled her eyes and scrambled to her feet. She was muddy and covered in leaves, but other than a sore shoulder she seemed fine. Ron got up too, brushing himself off. He looked okay.

"Sorry for falling on you," Audrey said. Ron shrugged. Then his eyes zeroed in on something behind her.

"Look! Unicorn blood!" he exclaimed, pointing. Audrey spun, seeing the shimmering substance pooled just a few feet away. It was fresher. Her eyes darted around, and she found a smear on a tree not far away.

She jogged forward, her wand now firmly in her hand as she followed the smeared undergrowth. Faintly, she started to hear labored breathing. Her heart sped up. They were getting close.

"Ron!" she gasped as she saw it. There it was. A pure white against the black, laying there. It gave a weak whinny, and Audrey sprinted over to its side.

The stallion was alive. She knelt beside him, resting her hands gently on his side. He was covered in his own blood, staining the pure white silver. Audrey heard how weak his breaths were and her heart fell. He had minutes at most.

The creature stirred, giving out a sharp cry when he saw her.

"Shh! Don't move—I'm not going to hurt you, I promise!" she said, raising her hands in an attempt to calm the creature. Her gaze snapped to Ron. "Do you know any warming charms?" It was a stupid question. Not even she knew any.

"Er, no—Flitwick said those were second year spells," Ron said quickly. He looked uncomfortable. She ignored him and went back to the unicorn, who was eying her.

"It's okay," she said in her most soothing voice. She let her hand rest on his shoulder again, petting him softly. Tears sprang to her eyes as she said, "I'll stay with you. I'll stay with you."

The unicorn seemed to relax upon hearing those words. She spoke to him softly about how beautiful and handsome he was, all while stroking him as gently as she could.

Audrey didn't know how long it was before she noticed the creature was no longer breathing. She sat up from her bent over position and stared down the still unicorn with heavy eyes.

"He was young, you know," Audrey told Ron, her voice a mere whisper. "He had just turned white and his horn had just grown in." As Ron remained quiet, she realized she had no idea how she knew that.

A few moments later the Gryffindor beside her said, "We need to look for Harry." Audrey nodded and stood up, her eyes still on the lifeless creature.

There was a slithering sound, and Audrey gasped, spinning around as her eyes darted to find the source of it. Her panic was deceiving her—the slithering seemed to be coming from everywhere.

"Audrey, what—?"

There was a flash of blackness. A cold hand clamped around her neck and shoved her back up against a tree. Audrey clawed at the hand, her vision slowly revealing what was pinning her.

Pure evil. Hooded, yes, but she could see the silver blood staining the cloak, and the dry, gray skin. She could see sharp eyes of hatred and hunger. The rest was concealed under the darkness of his hood, yet she knew she was facing what could only be described as death.

She heard a scream—Draco? The hooded figure dropped her, and as she gasped to regain the breath she lost, the monster glided swiftly to the other side of the clearing.

Audrey felt the Invisibility Cloak over her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked quickly. Audrey couldn't answer. She couldn't think. She had just been inches from _death._

Audrey was vaguely aware of a centaur and Harry's voice from not too far away. She hardly remembered anything else, though. Flashes of Ron practically dragging her through the forest. Of meeting Hagrid, Hermione, and the others (under the Invisibility Cloak, of course). She recognized the Hogwarts halls and the corridors leading up to Ravenclaw Tower. She sort of heard Ron saying a quick goodbye after leading her up to the common room door.

Somehow, she managed to get into the common room and into her dormitory. She slept uneasily, and found herself wide awake far too early in the morning. For the longest time, she just stared upward, going through what she had seen. The forest, the unicorn's death, the monster…

Finally, being the early bird Audrey was, she couldn't take it. She got out of bed and went to the common room, sitting in front of the fire with her homework in her lap. Yet, even this act was futile. Her brain kept circling back to the unicorn, the monster, and the question she wished hadn't been answered.

It was no surprise when Elena sat next to her.

"What's wrong, Audrey?" She sounded so _normal,_ like this was a casual question. Audrey gripped the book she was holding, reminding herself Elena didn't know what she had seen in the forest.

"It's…" Audrey had every intention of answering. Then she remembered just how far against the rules she'd been last night. She sighed, muttering, "Nothing."

Elena's expression went from contentment to concern. "It doesn't look like nothing." When Audrey gave no further indication she was going to respond, Elena went on to ask, "Did you find out something about the unicorns?"

Audrey couldn't help but nod as she remembered the innocent creature slowly slipping away from underneath her hand. That feeling of hopelessness and emptiness wouldn't leave her chest. Neither would the panic and the icy sensation of being strangled. Audrey's hand went to her neck subconsciously as she remembered the experience.

Elena scooted just an inch closer. Audrey threw her book to the side and hugged her older sister. It was impulsive and childish, but she didn't care. When Elena hugged her back after only a moment's hesitation, she felt safe for the first time in hours. Safe, protected, and above all, understood.

"I went to the Forbidden Forest last night," Audrey blurted. She didn't make any move to take the words back, though.

"Did you find the unicorns?" Elena asked. There was no judgement in her voice, just a search for understanding. Audrey nodded.

"He…he was dying, and I stayed with him. I didn't want him to die alone. But then that—that _thing_ came." Audrey's voice caught in her throat.

"Do you know what it was?" Elena asked, her voice careful. Audrey was thankful for her consideration. It made her feel all the more safe.

"It was human, but it…wasn't," was all Audrey could say.

"Did one of your books tell you what unicorn blood does?" Elena asked. Audrey shook her head, letting her older sister go so she could look at her. "I found out only a few days ago: it curses anyone who drinks it."

"So that was a…a cursed human?" Audrey asked. Elena nodded.

"It's good you are okay. And you shouldn't worry about it coming here," Elena told her. "Hogwarts is protected, and the teachers here would never let something like that in the castle. Just don't go wandering off into the forest again, okay?"

Audrey felt herself relax in her sister's arms. She wasn't perfect; she had a feeling that… _human_ was going to cause her a lot of nightmares and worrying. Yet Elena made it better. Elena helped her see reason.

And for that, Audrey decided Elena's status as the Slytherin Heir (or the not-Slytherin Heir, apparently) was unimportant. Elena was first and foremost her sister, and the only one aside from Amanda capable of calming her down. So the Slytherin Heir mess was strange, yes, but it didn't matter. _Elena_ mattered.

Audrey nodded to her older sister, saying with the utmost sincerity, "I don't ever want to go into that forest ever again."

* * *

 **A/N:**

There was a point in this chapter where I realized I was forcing the "Let's do it!" character and the "Let's plan everything out to the most intricate detail!" character to cooperate. XD Fun times


	14. Chapter 13

_Exams._

Delilah didn't know how hard they were going to be until they came. She spent hours studying, more than she'd ever had to before. Cedric was studying hard too, so of course they barely got to see each other. When they did, it was in the library. Studying. Thankfully, Cedric helped her quite a bit on the concepts she didn't understand, like Potions.

She was also tired. More and more, she was visiting Fluffy. The three-headed dog relished in her company, and she spent many nights curled up with it while going through her Transfiguration notes or her Potions ingredient tables.

Then the tests actually came.

Delilah didn't find them too difficult, but she was glad she studied. The written exams were tricky, specifically if she failed to read the questions thoroughly. The practical exams, however, were very fun. She was quite sure she got 100% on the Herbology test, if not the Charms test as well.

"Just one more test and we're _done!"_ Amanda announced stretching her arms wide as they sat in the sun. She looked right at home, as cozy as she could be.

"It isn't hard, trust me," Audrey assured her.

"What have you got next, Audrey?" Delilah asked. The Hufflepuff had Transfiguration with Amanda.

Audrey sighed, frowning. "History of Magic. It would take a miracle for me not to fail that one." Amanda rolled her eyes.

"And by 'fail', you mean, 'not get a higher grade than the other first years?' You could pass all of these exams with your eyes closed, Audrey. Stop worrying so much," Amanda ordered her. Audrey scoffed.

"Easy for you to say. You don't have your rank permanently displayed in your common room, with Elena's just a few boards away. She's tied for first right now, did you know that? I bet everyone in Ravenclaw is wondering why I'm nowhere near second."

"No one _cares_ , Audrey," Amanda told her.

Audrey narrowed her pale green eyes, opening her mouth to speak. Then they saw Professor Squirrel-er, _Quirrell_ -striding through the courtyard, looking as nervous as usual. Delilah frowned.

"He never has a fear smell," she said.

"What?" Audrey asked.

"A fear smell. He always acts so scared all the time but he never has a fear smell," Delilah explained, watching as the professor disappeared into a corridor.

"Not really surprising considering the stutter is fake anyways," Amanda muttered. She had been giving Quirrell a deadly look.

Delilah tilted her head. "Fake? How do you know?"

Amanda blinked. Audrey, looking to her, asked, "Didn't we tell you about that?"

"About what?" Delilah asked, completely clueless. Amanda laughed a little.

"Whoops, sorry. I guess we must have forgotten with all of the studying we've been doing," Amanda apologized. "Audrey overheard a conversation with Quirrell and some other teacher who knew him when they were in school. It was a pretty heated argument from what Audrey said, but…"

"It was clear Quirrell is faking the stutter. His voice was completely normal during the conversation," Audrey finished. Delilah swallowed, shifting nervously.

"That's suspicious," she murmured.

"What's new? He already tried to kill Harry," Amanda said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I just can't wait until I can tell Harry 'I told you so' when he figures out Quirrell is the evil one, not Snape."

"Did you tell anyone?" Delilah asked Audrey. Her Ravenclaw sister shrugged.

"I wasn't exactly supposed to hear that conversation," she explained, "and who would believe me?"

The lighter brown haired Hufflepuff shivered. "We should stay away from him."

"You really should," Amanda told her, opening her Transfiguration textbook. Perhaps if she were someone else, Delilah would have noticed the tense change from 'we' to 'you.' As she was, however, the potential observation went straight over her head. Nevertheless, she made a mental note to get her wolf statue from her dormitory after her Transfiguration exam.

* * *

Elena was finished with her exams. For once she wasn't concerned about that, though. Her mind was stuck continuously circling back to Theo, and the mother they both lost. Then her thoughts would spiral. So instead of letting herself even go that direction, she busied herself by burrowing herself in a corner of the common room to practice a few harmless spells she had created.

And then there was a knock.

Every Ravenclaw present set their gazes on the door, thinking the same thing in one way or another: ' _Which first year got locked out this time?'_ It was more common an experience than one would think and it was not exclusive to first years. Though, only the younger kids seemed to knock. Most older years knew better to avoid the embarrassment.

So Elena went back to her practicing. ' _This spell isn't sticking. Perhaps a stronger wand movement? That could affect the wandless uses…'_

"Elena! It's for you!" shouted the fifth year who had opened the door. Elena hesitated. Audrey was far too self-conscious and shy to knock, and it was still a half hour from curfew, so she couldn't have been desperate. Unless something bad had happened.

Elena sprang to her feet, taking long strides toward the door. It closed once she was out of the common room. What she saw made her thoughts screech to a halt.

It wasn't Audrey. This girl was an older, blonde girl who was as pale and the moon and barely tall enough to came up to Elena's shoulder. It was the third year Hufflepuff—Charlotte—she had helped out earlier in the term, and she did not look calm.

"Elena—thank goodness, I was beginning to think you couldn't be found either!" the Hufflepuff exclaimed, speaking far too fast for this to be something minor.

"What do you mean?" Elena asked quickly.

"It's your sister. Not Delilah," she said, at Elena's very dark look. "I was in the common room, keeping an eye on her like you asked. Then there was the awful howling! She took out this wolf statue and then ran out—it was all I could do to keep up with her and Cedric. As soon as I saw she was going to Professor Sprout's office I knew there was something wrong—"

"Charlotte, get to the _point_ ," Elena urged. Her heart was beating fast now, and she felt light on her feet, shifting all of her weight onto her toes.

Charlotte nodded. "Yes—I'm sorry—Well, it's your sister, the Ravenclaw. I think she's gone missing, and that wolf statue said she's in danger." Elena's world tipped. ' _Not Audrey too.'_

She took off down the stairs.

"Wait!" Charlotte called after. "Elena, wait—there's not much more you can do! The headmaster went to London this afternoon and all the other teachers are already working on finding her—"

"I can help," Elena said quickly over her shoulder. All this time she was looking after Delilah, she never considered that Audrey could be in danger too. But it made sense—too much sense. The object she had transfigured into a coin was not a normal trinket, after all. It was old. Very old, and very valuable, perhaps even powerful.

Elena stopped dead in her tracks, her hand skidding on the hand rail. She heard Charlotte stumble. ' _That's right—the tracking spell,'_ she thought, and quickly fumbled for her wand, which was already in her hand. She sped through the incantation, closing her eyes. Hopefully Audrey was wearing her strange little coin necklace.

She was.

Elena's teeth clenched as she saw her Ravenclaw sister curled up and unconscious in what looked like a pile of leaves and soft undergrowth. Around her, the blackness of the Forbidden Forest stuck out against what looked like a peaceful sleep. Eyes floated in that darkness, eyes that belonged to creatures Elena prayed were not of the carnivorous type.

The third year Ravenclaw opened her eyes, blinking away the vision as her mind went to work. Audrey did not go into that forest on her own accord. So what—or _who,_ rather, had made her? And why?

"Elena?" asked Charlotte, breaking her concentration. "What was that?"

"I know where Audrey is," she said, and started back down the tower. For once, she allowed herself to loathe just how many steps it was to the castle proper.

"How do you know?" Charlotte asked.

"A tracking spell—I put one on Audrey's necklace before I gave it to her," Elena explained. It had been such a simple thing at the time. Just a test to see if it would stick. It didn't. Not on the coin, at least, but the chain was free from all the coin's protections.

She leaped down the last two steps, hitting the ground before swiveling to face Charlotte. The flustered Hufflepuff scrambled to a stop.

"Charlotte, I need someone to let the professors know—can you tell them Audrey is in the Forbidden Forest?" Elena asked.

"I—but—is she okay?" Charlotte asked.

"No, she's not," Elena answered. "Please, I need to hurry."

"You aren't going to the Forbidden Forest, are you?" Charlotte gasped. But Elena had already turned and was rushing down the corridor.

* * *

Delilah was shaking.

In her arms, the wolf statue was pacing, howling only every ten minutes now. But the dread still filled her as she followed Professor McGonagall down the corridors lit only by the dim, late afternoon light. She didn't even know what they were doing or where they were going, but it was distracting her from looking down at the inscription that had magically appeared on the wolf statue just minutes ago. Or had it been hours? Delilah was too worried to keep track.

"Filius!" Professor McGonagall exclaimed. The Charms professor wobbled toward them as quickly as his short legs could take him.

"Minerva, I have gone through each of the Charms classrooms and the second floor corridor. I even checked with the Ravenclaws in her year, no one has seen her following the end of exams," he reported. "I fear she may have disappeared shortly after leaving her History of Magic class."

Professor McGonagall's lips thinned as she asked, "What of her other sisters? Have they seen her?"

"Professor Sprout sent Miss Fairchild for Miss Nott, they should be here any minute. As for Amanda—"

"She hasn't seen her sister," came the cold voice of Severus Snape. Delilah gasped, turning to see her dark-haired Slytherin sister marching forward with her Head of House behind her.

"Where is Audrey? What happened?" Amanda asked, staring at Delilah with a sharp feriosity. The wolf Coppin shook her head.

"I-I don't know. No one has seen her since History of Magic and my wolf—"

As if on cue, it howled. Amanda's jaw set. She had made up her mind about something.

A ghost came through the walls. "She isn't in any of the green houses or on the grounds," said the Fat Friar, sounding defeated. "Sir Nicholas even checked the Quidditch areas. Nothing."

"Just where could she _be?"_ Professor McGonagall shouted to no one in particular. "We have searched every place a first year could go—"

"Professor, what about the third floor corridor? The part that's out of bounds?" Cedric asked, giving a wary glance to Delilah. She didn't know why—it was a good question. Could Audrey have found out what Fluffy was hiding?

"The Bloody Baron was just there," the Fat Friar explained. "The corridor seems untouched." Delilah caught Professor McGonagall releasing a breath of relief.

"Might I suggest Miss Coppin simply went for a midnight stroll? After exams students have a certain feeling of _freedom_ —"

"We would have found her by now, Severus," Professor McGonagall interrupted, giving him a look that Delilah often saw Audrey and Amanda giving each other. It was a look of mental words, like they were having a silent conversation.

"PROFESSORS!"

The shout was loud enough to turn everyone's attention to the blonde haired third year Delilah remembered being Charlotte, from Cedric's year, flying toward them through the corridor.

"Miss Fairchild?" Professor McGonagall asked.

" _Finally!_ I've been looking for you for _ages—"_

"What is it?" Snape asked impatiently. Charlotte flinched, but it got her attention. Through ragged, panting breaths, she continued.

"It's Elena Nott, Professor, I told her about her sister and then she started to come down with me, but then she did some sort of spell, and I—well, I don't know what happened, but she knows where her sister is and she's gone looking for her—"

Delilah blinked, having only caught every third word, but Professor McGonagall took an urgent step forward.

"Well? Where is she?"

"The Forbidden Forest—"

"The Forbidden Forest!" Professor McGonagall shrieked. Delilah gasped. Audrey had gone into the forest alone? "Just how does Miss Nott _know_ her sister is—"

"Unicorns," Delilah said. Her voice was soft and breathless, but it was enough to have the professors' full attention.

"Unicorns?" Professor McGonagall asked her.

"Y-yes," Delilah said. She could hardly believe it herself. "After—you know, she started trying to find out what was dying in the forest and—and she did. Only, she didn't know _everything_ so she could have—"

"She went into the forest to find out for herself," Professor Flitwick finished, his shoulders falling. He looked quite pale. "A true Ravenclaw."

"A _stupid_ Ravenclaw!" Professor McGonagall, throwing her hands up in the air. She turned to Charlotte. "Alert the other teachers—Mister Diggory, if you could please take Miss Coppin back to your common room—"

Delilah's eyes widened. "But what about Audrey?" she protested. Professor McGonagall's eyes softened.

"We will do everything we can to bring her back. Once she is safe and back at Hogwarts, we will send for you immediately," the Transfiguration professor told her. Delilah opened her mouth, but shut it. She knew the professor was right. But she felt like she could do something. Like she _should_ do something. She looked to Amanda for guidance, but Amanda wasn't there. Professor McGonagall took notice of this too.

"Severus-"

"I sent her back to the Slytherin common room," Snape explained. The Head of Gryffindor house did not look convinced, but something in Snape's eyes must have reassured her, because she didn't say anything further.

Cedric put a hand on Delilah's shoulder, and when she looked at him he flashed that warming smile, the one that made her worries go away. The worry of finding the Great Hall, the worry of failing flying classes, the worry of finding her sister…

Delilah nodded.

In an instant, Professor McGonagall went from caring professor to steeled battlemage. She gave one glance to Snape and Professor Flitwick, and then they were off toward a Hogwarts exit. Off to save Audrey.

"Everything is going to be fine," Cedric was telling her as the corridor emptied. "The teachers know what they're doing."

Delilah nodded again, trying to reassure him more than herself. She knew Audrey would be okay. She had to be. But there was still an unsettling feeling, like she forgot something very important and she needed to tell the teachers to help them understand.

"What's wrong?" Cedric asked. Delilah didn't answer. She didn't know herself.

"Something is…bad," Delilah answered finally, when Cedric refused to drop the question.

"How so?" Cedric asked. Delilah thought about it. Just what would she be forgetting? Audrey was in the Forbidden Forest looking for unicorns and the thing that was killing them. Well, perhaps not looking for it, that would be too scary. Delilah narrowed her eyes.

"Audrey is scared of the forest," she realized. Was that why she had stopped looking for information on the unicorns these past few weeks? She thought Audrey was just too busy studying, but if she had found out…why would she be in the Forbidden Forest at all?

There was a loud bang and a flash. Delilah stood as still as the armored statues, trying to blink away the blindness in her eyes and the ringing in her ears.

"Cedric?" she asked. Nothing. Louder, more desperately, she called out, "Cedric? Where—?"

" _Imperio."_

* * *

" _OPEN!"_ Amanda bellowed, or as much as one can bellow in parseltongue. She was in far too much of a hurry to ask the sink nicely.

She raced down, down, down into the depths of the castle, forgetting just how _long_ it took to get to the Chamber. Normally she strolled down, happy to be alone with her thoughts.

But this was not a normal time.

The Slytherin Heir burst through to the chamber, finding Bozhidar coiled up near the Slytherin statue. He stirred when he heard her barreling down toward him.

" _What is wrong?"_ he asked as he straightened himself. His deep parseltongue sent a wave of welcoming, albeit momentary, calm through her.

" _Audrey's missing,"_ Amanda said. " _Can you find her?"_

The giant snake was quiet for a few seconds before he answered, " _I do not move fast enough for what you seek. These walls are thin. Yet, perhaps if you could explain, I could aid you?"_

" _I don't have_ time _to explain!"_ she shouted. The basilisk hissed in reprimand at her words, but she didn't have time to apologize either. She needed answers immediately.

" _Audrey went missing—probably after History of Magic, I don't know, but it doesn't make any sense! Delilah was supposed to be the one in harm's way, not Audrey—"_

" _And what of the professor? The one framing your mentor?"_ Bozhidar questioned her.

" _I don't know! But what does it matter? Audrey isn't missing because_ he _did it—"_ She gasped, stopping herself as her eyes widened.

Bozhadir's voice rumbled in her chest as he confirmed what she realized, " _The professors are most occupied at the moment. A thief could slip in and out with the treasure, should he know how to defeat the enchantments."_

" _Quirrell made her a distraction. So…so Quirrell is headed to the stone?"_ Amanda said quietly. She swayed, remembering just how much bigger this was than her. " _Delilah isn't there to protect Fluffy—he could be there right now."_

" _Not quite, little Heir,"_ the steady basilisk told her, " _In my wanderings, I have circled past the three-headed mongrel many times. Days ago, I saw the thieving professor make an attempt with music. But there was no effect on the creature."_

Amanda narrowed her eyes. " _It doesn't calm down with music anymore? But why not?"_ The basilisk gave a harsher, rumbling growl.

" _I do not dare speak it to you, not in this sacred place of Slytherin's, but know that it is a power that cannot be broken, not even by a powerful wizard like Quirrell, though he tried."_

" _The stone is safe, then?"_ Amanda asked, knowing that was not the case. If it were, Audrey wouldn't be missing, and she wouldn't be here.

" _Wrong again,"_ Bozhidar said. " _On the night I discovered that this power had been used, I later saw your sister enter. But the three-headed mongrel did not attack. She played with it still."_

Amanda's heart continued to race as fast as her thoughts. " _That means Delilah is Quirrell's only way through. And if he is using Audrey as a distraction, Delilah is already in harm's way."_

" _It seems so,"_ Bozhidar agreed. Amanda clenched her fists. She was not going to allow it.

" _I'm going after her,"_ she declared. She waited for the basilisk to disagree with her. He didn't.

" _There is a danger in what you are doing, Arisio. But I shall not prevent you. A Slytherin Heir does not submit."_ Amanda nodded.

" _Thank you."_

Then an amused rumble came from the creature.

" _I am here to serve you little Heir, you should expect no less from me. Even so, you are welcome. I hope to never see you come to harm."_ Amanda rushed up to the basilisk without thinking, making sure to avoid his gaze. She embraced him as much as you could embrace a giant snake. He flinched in shock, but settled into the gesture, hugging her back with his large head. For a moment, it was just Amanda and Bozhidar—Heir and Mentor.

" _I promise I'll be back,"_ she told him as she stepped back. Bozhidar laughed.

" _Of course. You must, as you still have yet to prove to me you are a true Slytherin Heir,"_ he teased her. Amanda stuck her tongue out at him before turning on her heel and sprint back toward the exit.

' _I'm coming for you, Delilah.'_

* * *

 ** _A/N_**

Also known as "the chapter where everything goes to hell"


	15. Chapter 14

The tracking spell was worthless outside its original usefulness. The Forbidden Forest looked exactly the same no matter how far she walked, and though her wand was lit up with _Lumos,_ she could only see a few feet in front of her.

She must have been walking for at least an hour. Night had fallen. Nothing had attacked her, but the eerie quiet told Elena the creatures of the forest had something more important on their minds...such as her little sister.

A twig snapped behind her. She whirled around, her wand up. Then she lowered it, seeing the centaurs step forward with their bowstrings still stressed.

"Did Hagrid send you?" asked a light-colored centaur. Elena nodded, taking in everything about the creatures that now surrounded her. She had heard about centaurs and seen them in books, but she had never seen them this close.

"I'm looking for my sister. Do you know where she is?" Elena asked. It was quiet aside from a few shifting steps from the centaurs.

"Mars is bright tonight," came one of the centaurs. Elena clenched her jaw. She had read that they were like this, but she was hoping that, considering the severity of the situation, they would give her a straight answer anyway.

"I need to find my sister. I saw her in a pile of leaves sleeping. Have you seen her?" Elena tried again.

"The master among slaves," said another centaur, stomping his hoof angrily. A few others did the same. Elena had to use every bit of self-control to keep herself from shouting. Still, she could perhaps trick them.

Elena opened her mouth just before a scream ripped through the forest faster than light. The Ravenclaw gripped her wand tighter and sprinted through the ranks of centaurs, who let her go as she raced in the direction of the sound.

It wasn't a graceful process. There were so many low branches, raised roots, and slippery leaves Elena hardly got any good grip on the ground. But she continued running, and pushed herself even faster when a second scream came.

"Audrey!" she shouted. Her senses were on overdrive. She could suddenly see even though her Lumos was gone and she could hear the scuttling and skittering of creatures she dare not name.

Elena halted at a cliff. No, a shallow gorge. She went through a list of spells—anything to help her cross it—when she heard a third scream, this one forcing her to look up and gaze in horror at the scene before her.

Audrey was sprinting for her life as over thirty magical creatures followed her. Giant spiders made up the bulk of them, but she could see what must have been a boggart, something that was oozing a hot substance, and a dementor, among other things.

Elena sprang into action, shouting stunning spells at the creatures far away from her sister. But the spiders were quick, and she only caught a few of them.

"Audrey!" Elena yelled again, getting her sister's attention. The young Ravenclaw bolted straight in her direction, and Elena gasped as she realized what that entailed.

"Wait, stop!" she shrieked, but Audrey was not stopping with the army of magical creatures behind her. She just ran faster.

Right over the far edge of the gorge.

Elena was already sliding down the side by the time Audrey landed, tumbling through the dirt and leaves. She raced over to her sister, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her forward, very aware of the chattering pincers growing closer.

The ledge was very high, but Elena didn't have much of a choice. She shoved her sister up. As Audrey clambered fretfully up the cliff, grabbing on to the edge, Elena took her wand and awkwardly sent as many spells as she could behind her. Some from textbooks, some of her own invention, but none were as effective as she'd hoped.

When Audrey was up, Elena leaped and grasped the ledge, barely getting a grip. She heard something crash into the leaves behind her, but she didn't dare look over her shoulder.

Elena pulled herself over the edge, straining every muscle in her upper body. She felt something scrape her leg just as she got a foot on solid ground. She stumbled, careful not to run over Audrey, who was still frozen in fear and perhaps pain, but Elena couldn't think about that. Injuries could be assessed and healed at a time when death was _not_ imminent.

"Go, go!" the older Ravenclaw shouted. Audrey scrambled to her feet and took off just as Elena turned and saw several giant spiders in the gorge. She clenched her jaw and gave a flick of her wand.

"Reducto!" she shouted in smooth parseltongue.

Elena felt the power she'd spent accomplishing the spell and turned to run, but she was not fast enough. The blast sent her flying several feet forward.

Winded and temporarily deaf, Elena gave the enemies behind her only one glance, and found parts of bodies and carcasses, along with pieces of rocks and undergrowth. The creatures that didn't get harmed screeched, scattering about at the edge of the gorge.

She spun around and sprinted in the direction Audrey had taken off. Celebration for successful attempt at parseltongue magic would have to wait.

Elena was surprised to catch up with Audrey, as her sister excelled at fleeing, but when she realized why the younger Ravenclaw was slowing, she paled. There was blood smeared all over her face and she looked sickly, like it was an effort just to move.

Elena shook those observations out of her head. The point now was to get out of the Forbidden Forest. But which way was it?

"Audrey, do you know how you got here?" Elena asked.

"T-the I-i-imp-perious C-curse," Audrey said, her voice scratchy. The older Ravenclaw sighed, supporting her sister.

"Well, we need to keep going. Come on, just follow me," she said softly, and while Audrey leaned on her, they hobbled through the forest, the screeches and howls of the dispersed creatures behind them the only sound they could hear.

Elena narrowed her eyes. Even though her brain was still recovering from the enhanced reducto spell, there was one question loud and clear now that the danger was over: where was Audrey's coin? The chain was there, but the coin was not. She felt a sudden anger at both the coin and Audrey's father, because if he gave it with the intention of protecting her, it had failed miserably.

A feeling of cold submerged her, like every bit of warmth was pushed out. Shivering, she spun around, trying to see the source. Trying to prove herself wrong.

But she wasn't wrong. There, shifting through the trees, were the black creatures that seemed to steal every ounce of heat and happiness from her. Already she started thinking about how hopeless getting out of the forest was. They were surrounded, and she could hear the few remaining spiders coming closer.

There were other creatures too. Some invisible, some circling in the darkness, as if waiting to see how the two girls fared after the dementors. All five of them.

Elena tried to push through the forced depression and find herself a plan. Except, it wasn't about knowing the right spells. She knew the right spell, but didn't know how to use it. Flitwick had promptly refused to teach her when she asked earlier that year, saying she was far too young and there was no need.

No need! She growled in frustration, taking out her wand. " _Expecto Patronum!"_

Nothing happened. Not even a wink of light. She knew it wouldn't work—reading only got you so far with a spell as complex as the Patronus Charm. But what other choice did she _have?_ They were completely surrounded, and the darkness only gave way to more and more monsters. _The coin._ If only it were here to protect them.

Elena got an idea.

It wasn't the best. She had learned summoning charms only a few months ago, and for all she knew the coin was miles away. But she had to try. It was the only thing she could possibly think of being able to protect Audrey. She gripped her wand, taking a deep breath despite her need to shiver and the little voices in her head growing louder, saying, ' _It's hopeless. Give up. There is nothing you can do.'_

" _Accio coin!"_ she shouted, capturing a mental image of the dragon coin. Nothing happened. A distant part of her knew why: it wasn't really a coin. The coin was simply what she'd transfigured it into.

Elena tried again, saying 'transfigured coin' instead. It didn't work. As she thought of another option, a chill went through her spine and she remembered the cold day she walked out of the Longbottom house.

It had been a lengthy week. She remembered her mother's funeral. She remembered Augusta Longbottom and Andrew Coppin fighting Theo's father, and the argument escalated quickly to a near-duel. She remembered staying with her sisters, who, though indifferent due to the two year age gap, stayed with her like she was their North Star.

And then she remembered leaving them. She remembered their faces of absolute terror as she was pulled away from them by the Nott family, leaving her sisters with an old stranger and her grandson. Elena was only seven years old, yet that was old enough to know she wasn't going to see them often, that she would be leaving them alone and there was nothing she could do but follow her aunt and uncle.

Elena clenched her jaw. ' _Focus focus focus.'_

" _Accio protection token!"_ Elena shouted, this time imagining the coin as the original was: a miniature dragon toy. Silence.

The dementors were just a foot away, looming over Elena and Audrey. Elena felt the emptiness in her stomach and the hopelessness of the situation. They were never going to get out.

Elena remembered feeling this before. Months into being under the Nott's permanent care, she began to realize just how out of place she was. How she, a bastard daughter of unknown blood status, would forever see the upturned noses of the purebloods and hear the not-so-silent whispers from the society she was forced to dwell in. And it would never get better. Perhaps she could learn their etiquette and their slippery games of politics, but she would forever be seen as the great Adrianna Arisio's greatest shame.

The older Ravenclaw shook her head, noticing how much effort it took to do such a normal gesture. Everything was harder, as if she were moving through water. But she didn't have the choice to give up. Audrey, after all, was barely conscious and there were five dementors surrounding her.

But she couldn't think, and any time she tried to recall why she was fighting against the emotional abyss, she remembered more of what she'd rather forget.

It was through one of these forced remembrances that she saw a flash of a symbol associated with Andrew Coppin. A symbol she had seen on the coin. Her foggy mess of a brain didn't know what it meant for her sisters' father, but she knew what it meant for that coin.

" _Accio Andrew Coppin's protection token!"_ she bellowed out. The dementors closed in. The last of her warmth left her. She heard something sharp—

The coldness was over.

Elena blinked through her clogged mind. The dementors hovered, restless now that whatever they were doing before wasn't working. Elena glanced down at her sitting sister and the chain around her neck. The coin hung neatly, giving off a slight glow.

Elena was in no shape for a heroic rescue, but even with her thoughts twisting each other in knots she knew the protection wouldn't last forever. Spells could only take so much.

So she tried to think. How do you hurt dementors? Every blasting spell was void—the creatures were too close. She knew her protection spells wouldn't be useful in her muddled mind's current state. She went through numerous of other spells she knew, even those she had created herself, but she knew dementors were immune to most magic and the spells she invented were not perfect. Not yet.

' _Perhaps I don't have to harm them…Maybe the coin made it so they can't sense us right now.'_ Elena decided to test her theory. She gave her wand another flick, whispering the incantation for the most powerful invisibility spell she knew she could handle.

The dementors broke their circle, howling in anger as they paced about. Other magical creatures screeched and scuttled through the forest. They seemed to be looking for their prey.

' _It worked,'_ Elena thought as the dementors grew further and further apart from each other.

"Audrey," she whispered, "get up."

"Mhmm," her sister groaned, her head lolling to the side if she were being shaken awake far earlier than she wanted to be.

"Audrey, come on," Elena said harsher, this time grabbing her sister's wrist and pulling her up. Some sort of instinct must have kept Audrey standing, for she still looked only half-conscious. But she was up, and that was all Elena needed.

The older Ravenclaw pulled her sister along, but she went slowly in case any of the monsters could hear the silent crunch of the leaves. Audrey was not even trying to be quiet. She wasn't aware enough for that. But none of the creatures seemed to know where the two witches wandered off to.

Elena tried to sneak along as quickly as she could without being incredibly loud. She felt her invisibility spell slipping though, her congested brain telling her that she needed to sleep, and her priority should be on that rather than all the spell crafting. She couldn't focus.

She inched along faster, her heart the only sound she could truly hear from either of them. Elena kept hold of the spell as long as she could, but nearly as soon as she walked past the last magical creatures that had been surrounding her, it shattered.

"Audrey run!" Elena shouted as every creature froze to look at the escaping meal. Just as before, the younger Ravenclaw had no problem following that command. She took off, pulling Elena, who had yet to let go of her. The older sister didn't mind. It meant she didn't have to think about running.

Elena sent as many destructive spells back as she could manage. It slowed them down, but it didn't stop them. The dementors especially were unaffected, gliding down smoothly. They were quicker, Elena realized. It wouldn't be long before—

There was a flash of white, almost like a spell. Audrey stumbled, pulling Elena down with her. The older sister struggled up to her feet, sparing a quick glance at the advancing monsters.

She froze at what she saw.

A herd of unicorns, standing in between the two Ravenclaws and the creatures determined to eat them. The herd was full of adults, all stomping at the ground and rearing, displaying their pure white coats and golden hooves.

The dementors shrieked at the light, hissing at the beautiful creatures. Yet they didn't advance. The other monsters took a few steps back, screeching but conceding to the unicorns' power.

One dementor got restless, however. It flew forward faster than a spell.

Then it hit an invisible barrier in between the unicorns. The innocent creatures whinnied and struck out at the dementor, which backed away at the shimmering shield now preventing it from going any further.

Elena stared. They were being protected by _unicorns._

"Human!"

The older Ravenclaw tore herself away from the spectacle, finding herself just a few feet away from a golden centaur, a bow in his hands.

"Do you want to live?" he asked. Elena nodded absently. "Well? Help the other onto my back. I can take you back to the school."

Elena followed the order if only because she couldn't come up with a reason not to. As the centaur kneeled, she threw her sister on and then got on herself. Then the centaur cantered off and the brave unicorns became smaller and smaller until Elena could no longer see them.

Only one thought was able to fight through her mind: ' _Why did they help us?'_

"Your sister," the centaur told her, causing her to realize she'd spoken aloud. Elena set her eyes on the younger Ravenclaw, who was now sound asleep. "Just weeks ago, she entered this forest and encountered a young unicorn that was dying. She stayed with the stallion until his end, even with the danger that posed for her. The unicorns that protected you were part of that stallion's herd, and they felt indebted to your sister."

"Is it so unusual?" she asked. Her slow brain came up with the answer seconds later, when she remembered all the books she read in an attempt to help Audrey.

The centaur gave a sour looking face. "For someone like _her_ —" the centaur stopped himself, shook his head, and sighed. "Unicorns are social creatures. They thrive in the company of their herd, especially in death. For that stallion, dying alone was more painful than the injures he had."

It was quiet after that, both because they didn't have anything to say and Elena was too busy focusing all her energy on staying awake long enough to keep Audrey steady on the centaur's back. She wanted to sleep so badly her eyelids kept closing, refusing to stay up. She pushed through the feeling, though. Audrey still needed her.

Elena wasn't nearly aware enough to know how much time passed before they stopped. She heard voices, and she realized those voices belong to teachers.

"Firenze? That yeh ou' there?" came Hagrid's voice.

"Yes, Hagrid. I believe you were looking for these two," the centaur said, trotting forward.

There was a gasp from Professor Sprout.

The centaur, Firenze, kneeled. Elena slid off, her legs wobbly and numb when she dismounted. She shook away her light head and helped Audrey slide off. It wasn't graceful, but it didn't wake her up.

The teachers crowded her as she quickly checked over Audrey. There was blood and some bruises, but it didn't look as bad as before. Hopefully it stayed that way.

"It seems we didn't need to come after all," said Snape, looming over them as Professor McGonagall put a hand on Elena's shoulder. Professor Sprout crowded Audrey, muttering something about exertion.

"The creatures here are shaken, and they will be restless for a long while. It is best if you keep your students away from this forest from now on," Firenze warned.

"Thank you," Professor McGonagall told the centaur. "I don't know why Miss Coppin would be so foolish…" Elena clenched her jaw. Audrey didn't come here of her own accord.

"She wasn't," Elena said, straightening up. They needed to know about the Imperious Curse. They needed to know that someone wanted her out there to distract all of the teachers. They needed to know—

Any feeling of gravity left her and she fell just as her mind forced her to sleep.


	16. Chapter 15

Delilah felt like she was on a cloud. No worries, no cares, just sky. A dark, starless sky, but she just assumed she was asleep, stepping halfway into a dream.

Vaguely, she felt like she needed to wake up. She didn't want to. The weightlessness she was feeling was too comfortable to ignore. She wondered if she would ever have to wake up again.

She heard distant growling. Fluffy's growling. As soon as she wondered why he was growling, she forgot about it. 'This is a dream,' she reminded herself, and took a deep breath.

Devil's Snare.

What was such a smell be doing in her dream? Was this a nightmare? A spark of concern flashed through her. Perhaps her dream just started from a cave. She tried to ignore the smell. She couldn't. After all, she didn't smell what was in her dreams. She usually smelled her sheets, the wood of the Hufflepuff beds, the moisturizer Hannah Abbott always insisted on using before bed…Delilah's dream stopped. If she was smelling Devil's Snare, that meant it was right next to her.

That's when she remembered the word "Imperio." Then she remembered Cedric was missing, and Squirrel had captured her—no, Quirrell had. 'Imperio' must have been a mind controlling spell.

The sky around her vanished in a flash of light. Delilah blinked, surprised to be surrounded in dark stone walls. She was in a passageway only lit by Quirrell's wand. He was brushing himself off.

Delilah stood, frozen. Where was Cedric? Quirrell must have hurt him. What could she do to get out and help him? When the Defense Against the Dark Art's teacher wasn't looking, she gave a quick glance above her before looking back. They had gone through the trapdoor Fluffy was guarding. She could hear the dog's soft whines even from so far down. Directly above her was the Devil's Snare.

Delilah was trapped.

"Come on, Coppin, I suspect I am going to need you for the next few chambers," Quirrell said. He strolled along with a spring in his step. He was confident, happy. Delilah's thumping heart became louder than thunder. What could that mean? She didn't want to find out. Yet she couldn't run.

In a split second she decided it would be safer to follow Quirrell as if he still had full control of her. After all, the teachers would find out what happened to her and Cedric. They would find him and help him and then look for her. She just had to be patient.

She managed to calm her heartbeat and found a pace she thought suitable for someone under mind control. They walked for a while before she saw a light. She heard wings, too, brushing up against each other like there were many of them.

They entered a room, and at first glance Delilah thought they were birds. They smelled like metal, though. She stood, staring at the weird creatures. Then she remembered what she was supposed to be doing, and looked back only to find the evil professor's sharp gaze. He had figured it out.

"I see you have a strong mind," Quirrell hissed, "Imperio!"

Delilah broke the spell without thinking, her magic lashing out with feral fury. Quirrell's concentrated scowl fell on her. He clenched his jaw.

Pointing his short, sharp looking wand at her, he growled, "Who taught you how to break the Imperious Curse?" Delilah's heart was beating fast again, and she frowned.

"I-I didn't learn."

"Doubtful. No first year is capable," Quirrell sneered. "Was it your father? I suppose that is obvious." Delilah attempted to steady her breathing as she eyed the wand pointed at her. With her own wand nowhere in sight, she prayed she would be able to transform quick enough to avoid any spells that would be sent at her.

"Your immunity isn't troublesome at all though, really. You must listen to me if you want to live."

Delilah nodded.

"Splendid. Now get on that broom and find me a silver key for the door. Quickly."

Delilah swallowed, giving a worried look to the brooms and then to the birds that, upon closer inspection, were the keys.

"Well?" Quirrell snapped. He had stepped up to another broom and was ready to mount it.

"I can't fly well," she answered.

"I don't need you to fly well," Quirrell said nastily. Delilah took that to mean she didn't have a choice.

Shakily, she walked up to a broom and grabbed ahold of it. She mounted it carefully, then slowly lifted a few inches into the air. She was tense. Brooms were so sensitive, needing such gentle leaning and pulling…

"Hurry up!" Quirrell snapped. Delilah gripped the broom tighter and set her gaze in front of her. She could do this. She was just as good any other first year (Harry didn't count). She just had to remember what Cedric taught her.

She leaned, but not too far. The broom sped up smoothly.

"It's there! The one with the blue wings! Cut it off!" Quirrell barked. Delilah did it, though she was too late. She was yelled at, but Quirrell didn't seem ready to hurt her for incompetence. For that, she was pleased.

It took several minutes to learn how to use the broom efficiently enough to help Quirrell. Throughout it all, she thanked Cedric. Without his lessons and expert instruction, she knew she would never have been able to mount the broom, and she was quite sure Quirrell would not have been as kind to her. It made her falter, thinking about Cedric. He was probably worried sick about her, if he was even conscious at all. She narrowed her eyes in determination. She needed to survive this.

When the evil Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher finally caught the key, she flew down. He turned his wand on her as soon as her feet touched the ground.

"Don't think I am done with you," he said icily. "Move along."

She tensed and went to the door. He continued to point his wand at her as he twisted the key into the lock.

"Go," he ordered after pushing the door open. And Delilah went. Not because she was scared of him, or because he could hurt her. It was because Cedric would be worried about her, and she needed to make him not worried anymore.

* * *

There was something about being a snake that was enthralling to Amanda. Slithering felt so natural to her, and being so low to the ground had its benefits, one of which included being nearly invisible to anyone who didn't think a snake should be slinking through the corridors of Hogwarts.

Amanda was using this advantage. Though there was no teacher in sight, she knew Filch was lurking about, and she couldn't count on Mrs. Norris being afraid of snakes.

Having been to the forbidden corridor only once before, Amanda was having a bit of trouble finding her way. She slithered past the Charms classrooms and peered around corners in an attempt to find something familiar.

Down one of the corridors, she found the only familiar thing that could help her: Harry Potter and his Gryffindor tag-alongs.

She didn't see them, of course. They were smart enough to use the Invisibility Cloak. But she could hear their footsteps faintly, and their scent was unmistakable.

Amanda followed them, hugging the corners of the walls in case one of them looked back. She wondered for only a second if they were going somewhere other than the forbidden corridor, but quickly dispelled the thought. Where else would the trouble-seeking Harry Potter be going?

They went through each corridor, an eerie silence befalling them. Then they came across the forbidden corridor, finding the door already open. Amanda hissed lowly. Delilah had been forced through that door.

"Well there you are," said Harry, bundling up the Invisibility Cloak. "Snape's already gone through."

Amanda transformed quicker than a blink.

"You mean Quirrell has already gone through," she hissed. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Come to stop us, have you? To protect your Dark Head of House?" Harry challenged.

"No, I've come to save my sister," Amanda retorted.

"Why?" Ron asked.

"Quirrell used her to get past Fluffy," Amanda explained, crossing her arms as she drew out Quirrell's name. "Fluffy doesn't respond to music anymore."

"What do you mean, 'used her?'" Hermione questioned, pale.

"Yes he does, Hagrid told us," Harry said, keeping Amanda from answering the only other girl in the room.

Amanda sighed. "That's because Hagrid doesn't know. He is a half-giant after all."

This only made Harry angrier.

"Hagrid is not stupid! And how would you know any different? Snape?" He took a step forward with a full intent to challenge. Amanda stared at him hard with her poison green eyes, standing perfectly still.

"No, actually. I found out from a very mutual friend of ours, and he just so happened to witness Quirrell trying to get through with music. He failed. But I understand if you don't believe me." She gestured toward the door. "Just go on and get eaten."

The three of them didn't look eager to prove her wrong.

"What do you mean, mutual friend?" Hermione asked.

But Harry ignored her again. "So what do you want, then? We aren't going back now." Amanda rolled her eyes.

"Of course. Do you think I want to just leave my sister down there with Quirrell?"

"You aren't coming," Harry said darkly, his piercing green eyes pointing at her. Amanda didn't even blink.

"Well you aren't getting down that trapdoor without me," she said simply.

"Do you have any sort of plan?" Ron asked.

Amanda smirked. "I have an idea."

She walked straight passed Harry into the room like she was going to class. As soon as she saw the three-headed dog she sucked in a breath stopped. The dogs sniffed in and raised their heads, continuing to sniff. They growled, baring their teeth, but Amanda stood firm. She wasn't going to say bravely, though, because she wanted so badly to turn around and go back into her common room.

"Hello, Fluffy. Please don't kill me. I'm a friend of Delilah's. I know I might smell a little different than her, but I promise I'm doing this for her," Amanda told it. The creature growled more, stepping away from the open trapdoor.

"Amanda…" came a low voice from one of the Gryffindors behind the door. Amanda ignored the warning and took a step forward. The dog tensed. She held out her hand. Fluffy shifted, but then one of the heads reached forward, sniffing some more.

"See? I'm her sister, and she really needs my help. So, if you could just let my friends and I through…"

Amanda didn't know if Fluffy understood her or not, but the three headed dog went from a tense, 'I'm-about-to-eat you' look to a defeated 'my-friend-is-in-trouble' face. It laid down, all three heads looking down the trapdoor. They whined the most pitiful whine Amanda had ever heard.

"Harry, you can come in now! Just do it really, really slowly," Amanda called over her shoulder without moving. She prayed this worked.

She heard shuffling behind her as slow as humanly possible. For being Gryffindors, they were terrified of the creature before them.

'Says the Slytherin who hasn't breathed since she walked in,' Amanda thought, but she would die before she told that to anyone.

"Alright, just move toward the trapdoor and hop in," Amanda told them, and walked a few more steps toward Fluffy. She put a hand on one of their giant heads, but it didn't make a move to eat her. It was almost like it…purred.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Hermione asked weakly.

"It's as safe as it's ever going to be," Amanda answered, petting the dog's head. She couldn't help but feel it was sad. Hurt, even, like it was disappointed in itself.

Harry looked down the hole with a look only a Gryffindor could give. He looked to his two friends. "If I don't come back, go straight to the owlery and use Hedwig to send a letter to Dumbledore, okay?"

"Or I could just get one of the teachers," Amanda said. She received three sharp glares.

Harry crouched down next to the trapdoor, allowed himself one breath, and leaped down. Amanda didn't hear a crack or a splat, so perhaps Harry was alright. Though, she didn't have the best hearing out of her sisters.

"Are you alive Harry?" Amanda called down the trapdoor.

There was a pause.

"Yes! There's something soft down here, it's safe!" Harry called up.

"Good. Ron, Hermione, you go next—"

"Scared, Coppin?" Ron sneered. Amanda gave him a look that should have annihilated him.

"If you haven't noticed, I am the only one keeping you from becoming dinner," she spat back. Ron begrudgingly took that as an answer.

The red head jumped through. After a few seconds, he called up to Hermione, who sat down on the edge before sliding off. She gave a short squeak, but that was all.

Amanda looked into the eyes of one of the heads. "I'm going to go down now, okay? I promise I'll bring Delilah back."

They nodded hopelessly. It would have been pitiful if she didn't know how many teeth it had.

The first year Slytherin looked at the trapdoor. She gave one swift nod and hopped in, the feeling of falling engulfing her for what seemed like a sixteenth of a second.

Whatever she fell on was soft. It was also climbing up her leg. Amanda struggled as the plant curled around her calf and squeezed like a python.

"Er, Hermione—"

"Stop moving! I know what this is! It's—it's Devil's Snare!" Hermione shrieked, cutting off Amanda.

"I wondered what it was called!" Ron shouted angrily. Amanda racked her brain. What had Delilah said when they were studying? Amanda couldn't remember, cursing herself for not paying attention in Herbology.

"Shut up, I'm trying to remember how to kill it!" Hermione shouted.

"Sunlight! Delilah said it wasn't a morning plant because it hated light!" Amanda exclaimed as soon as she remembered the conversation.

"Light a fire!" Harry shouted. Amanda reached for her wand, but her wrists were tightly bound and pulled down. She squirmed in an attempt to get it, but there was no way she could. Momentarily she considered turning into a snake. She realized she would just be an easier target for suffocation and decided against it.

"Yes—of course—but there's no wood!" Hermione cried.

"ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?" Ron bellowed.

Hermione seemed to catch the hint. She quickly summoned blue flames (which Amanda wanted to know how to do immediately) and the plant fled, untangling itself before slinking away back into the dark. Amanda swore there was a hissing noise coming from it.

Amanda scrambled to her feet and stood next to Hermione in the spot furthest away from the python plant.

"Lucky you two pay attention in Herbology," Harry said, joining them.

"Thank Delilah for that one," Amanda told him. "I can't believe one of her rants on why massive mobile plants are dangerous to all other species of greenery actually came in handy."

"They are invasive," Hermione blurted, her voice letting on how scared she still was. It was as if she had no "random facts filter" when she was jumpy.

"Alright, this way. It's the only way Snape could have gone," Harry said, pointing down the passageway.

"You mean Quirrell," Amanda corrected, crossing her arms with a pointed look on her face. Harry's powerful determination flashed onto his face and there temporary truce shattered.

"What proof have you got of that? Your sister's word about the Quidditch match and a few guesses? Snape was limping after Halloween, Amanda, and I heard him talking in the Forbidden Forest with Quirrell—I think Snape forced Quirrell to tell him everything about this place so that he could get through." Amanda clenched her jaw, realizing his "evidence" far outweighed her own. But it wasn't going to stop her.

"Snape wouldn't do that. He doesn't need to be rich or to live forever," Amanda said firmly.

"He doesn't want the Stone for himself! He wants the Stone for You-Know-Who!" Ron shouted. Amanda's eyes flared with fury as both anger and fear clashed in her stomach.

"Snape would never follow the Dark Lord! He may be a git to you Gryffindors and he may not be the nicest person in the Wizarding World, but he cares about me! He would never kidnap Delilah and Audrey just to follow some petty Dark Lord for power! He's brilliant enough on his own!"

"Audrey and Delilah have been kidnapped?" Hermione asked breathlessly with wide eyes. Harry, however, also ignored that question and met the Slytherin's words with an equal amount of anger.

"How do you know? He could be lying to you!"

"He would never lie to me about something like that!" Amanda snapped. Then, viciously, she smirked. "But I guess you wouldn't understand what it feels like to have someone like Snape. Since your parents were stupid enough to get themselves killed."

Harry and Ron lunged.

"Stop, STOP!" Hermione bellowed, getting in between the Gryffindor boys and the Slytherin. "Stop fighting, both of you! Sna—well, whoever is trying to steal the Stone is still out there, and we are the only ones who can stop him in time!"

Harry glared at her. Amanda continued her aggravating smile. It wasn't like she really wanted to belittle Harry, but he squirmed with fury under her gaze, and his lack of comfort made up for his false accusations against Snape. He deserved it.

"Hermione's right. We need to keep going," Harry said. His words seemed to call Ron off of Amanda, for the red-head took a step back. His glare never dulled, however. With one last glance at Amanda, the trio turned and strode down the passageway. Amanda followed a safe distance behind, never losing her smirk.

* * *

There was a sick feeling in Delilah's stomach as she saw the troll crumble to the ground. She looked at it with a frown, her hands visibly shaking.

"Remembering your first experience with a troll, are you?" Quirrell said as he pocketed his wand. Delilah was not, in fact, although that memory only made her more ill. She had been thinking about how powerful Quirrell was, and how clever. He went through that chess game with such ease, and they had faced the troll for only a few moments.

"That was the first time you proved to be troublesome," Quirrell growled under his breath. He pointed to the door. Delilah went through with him, taking her first step into the room cautiously. But there weren't bird-keys, giant chessman, or trolls. There was only a table and seven potions on top.

A whoosh filled the room as soon as Quirrell joined her. Purple flames covered the exit behind them and black flames flickered within the door in front of them. Delilah hoped those flames stayed to their doorway.

Quirrell stalked over to the table and picked up a piece of parchment. He chuckled. "Clever, Severus, very clever." Then he began circling the potions, muttering to himself while another voice spoke quietly. Delilah covered her ears. She had heard that second voice a lot during her time with Quirrell, and she didn't like it. It sounded wrong and evil.

"Get over here!" Quirrell hissed. She obeyed. He handed her a small vial of a dark liquid. "Drink this and go through the flames."

She hesitated, giving him a wary look.

"Oh please, Coppin. How would it make sense for me to poison my hostage?" Quirrell sneered. "Drink!"

Delilah did as he asked, swallowing down the whole thing. She wrinkled her nose at the taste, finding it sticky in her mouth. He pointed to the flames, and she turned.

Perhaps it was her human and wolf instincts deciding fire wasn't the greatest thing to walk into, for she did not go straight through. She stepped up to it stiffly. Then she leaped through, stumbling a bit on the other side.

It was just another room.

After a breath of relief, she sniffed in, as it was too dark to really see much. All the scents other than stone and dust were stale. The headmaster had been there along with Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape. When her eyes caught sight of what was in the middle, she understood why.

It was the mirror.

Almost as if entranced, Delilah walked up to the familiar mirror. It stood above her regally, as if it knew many secrets.

'I wonder if it could tell me if Cedric was okay,' she wondered. Her eyes narrowed with determination and she thought as hard as she could, 'I want to know where Cedric is. I want to know where Cedric is.'

The mirror shifted just as she heard footsteps behind her. Cedric was sprawled out in some sort of cupboard. Her heart sped up, considering the worst, but then she saw his chest rise and fall, and he twitched as if he were waking.

"I wonder what a spawn of Andrew Coppin would see in the Mirror of Erised," Quirrell breathed in her ear. She gasped and leaped back, the mirror returning to its original state. He gave her a look that made her shiver before returning to gaze at the mirror.

"An idea of Dumbledore's no doubt. That man is always up to his tricks," Quirrell sneered. He made a quick walk around the mirror, his face tight with thought. When he came back around, he scowled at her.

"What did you see?" he demanded.

"I—er—I wanted to make sure Cedric was okay," she answered, shocked by the question. His scowl relaxed.

"It is so naïve, I believe you. Although you ought not have worried, I never planned on taking his life. Killing him would have been troublesome for my escape," Quirrell told her.

"Does that mean Audrey isn't dead either?" Delilah asked, tensing as she remembered why she had been outside of the common room in the first place.

Quirrell gave her a mean smile. "I didn't leave her dead, but the Forbidden Forest can be a nasty place." Delilah's eyes widened. She could imagine Audrey surrounded by awful creatures, scared and alone…

'No, no, I would know if she was hurt or died, I would have felt it,' Delilah told herself, and she settled on that as Quirrell continued to inspect the mirror.

"Perhaps, when your father comes, I will force him to find the Stone. He certainly is clever enough," Quirrell said, his face contorting with disgust.

"My…father?" Delilah asked.

"Do not play dumb!" Quirrell snapped, turning on her. "I know you have had contact with him. Only he would be smart enough to tell you to give that—that protection to your sister to throw me off. But he is clueless. I know it's you. I've known it for months. I had my suspicions ever since I watched you sneak in to play with that monster over the trap door. No normal witch or wizard could control a beast like that, especially a first year.

"And then I saw you, you stupid Hufflepuff. The day you were in the library with that muggleborn. I saw you going through that book. 'What is the name that is scratched out?' As if you didn't know, as if your father hadn't held that name upon a pedestal for all these years…" Delilah concentrated on his words. She didn't know about the "protection" he was speaking about, or the book Hermione had shown her or what her father could have had to do with it, but there was one thing she knew for certain.

"My dad isn't coming for me," she told the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor firmly. "He is busy with other things."

But Quirrell only sighed. "You simple girl. I know. I know what you are, and I know your father. No matter how selfish and clever he is, he would never allow you to come to harm. No, he will be here tonight, and when he shows, he will help me find the Stone. Then I will end him."

Delilah decided he was going to be disappointed. She knew her dad. He was important, according to Gran, and he had things he needed to be doing. He was far too busy to even write them back, let alone rescue her.

"Where is it?" Quirrell muttered frustratingly.

"Why do you need it?" Delilah blurted out. The professor gave her a sickeningly dark look.

"I forget the dimwittedness of first years. I do not need it. My master, my wonderous Dark Lord, needs it, for he cannot change the world in his current state. It is my duty to retrieve the Stone so that he may live and continue his plans for the greater good."

"You want to bring back You-Know-Who," Delilah concluded. She didn't like that.

"You are just like the others!" Quirrell spat at her. "You can only see through your childish concepts of good and evil. You will see, though, how foolish you are. Just as soon I find that Stone!"

He went back to looking, but Delilah was hardly paying him any attention. She remembered stories of the war and of how bad it was. She couldn't simply let Quirrell look for the Stone. Even if there was a rescue on their way, the evil professor was going to find it soon, and then he would be unstoppable.

She steeled herself, raising her head as Quirrell took a step forward. 'I can do this. I have to do this.'

Delilah lunged just as she shifted into her pure white form. Quirrell spun around, grabbing for his wand. She leaped, crashing into him as she snapped at his hands, causing his wand to fall. Quirrell shielded himself with his arms, but she bit down hard on his wrist. When he brought his arm away with a howl, she clamped down on his shoulder and flung her head, ripping whatever skin she had a hold of.

The Hufflepuff saw Quirrell go for his wand a moment too late. She surged toward that hand just as he grabbed it.

She went flying. She grabbed for something solid, flailing about midair. She transformed just as she hit the cold wall with a harsh crunch. Her vision was failing, but she still struggled to get up as she smelled the familiar scent of garlic getting closer.

Quirrell said something she wasn't conscious enough to hear, and a final spell hit her.

* * *

The teachers were craftier than Amanda gave them credit for. First Fluffy, which was scary enough, then Devil's Snare, which could kill any wizard whose wand was lost or inaccessible as hers had been. Then, the flying-key room. She figured it must have taken ages to get the right charms to work together to create the bird-keys, and an even longer time to get them to fly as fast as they did. Once on a broom, Amanda had to use every Quidditch skill she had to keep the right key from escaping her corner, and even then only Harry was quick enough to catch the thing.

But the cleverness did not stop there, no. At that moment Amanda was watching Ron scowl as he surveyed the current positions of the chess pieces on the board. The board that took up the entire room with chess pieces at least two feet taller than any of them.

Upon entering the room, Ron had taken initiative, giving her a sideways glance, ready for her to butt in. As if! Amanda hardly knew the most basic rules to chess, let alone the death game before them. Theo and Elena had tried to teach her, of course, and Snape was always going on about how Pureblood politics was often like the extensive, sacrificial game, but she had never taken to it.

Ron was good, though. He made Hermione take the place of the castle, because of course anyone wanting to get past the giant white pieces on the other end had to physically play the game and risk getting knocked out and pulled off to the side. He made Harry and Amanda bishops. Not that Amanda had agreed to the position willingly.

"Queen!" Amanda had shouted once she realized what Ron was doing. "I call queen!"

"Amanda, queens are the most used, most targeted, and most sacrificed players on the board," Ron had told her.

"But I want to be a queen," she had whined, then stomped over to the bishop position anyway, knowing the point was to live long enough to save Delilah, not to play some chess game.

After that, Ron played across the room. Theo would have been astonished. Amanda sure was. Even though there were some black pieces now unconscious on the side of board, there were some white pieces too, and Amanda was kind of certain they were winning.

'Perhaps Weasley has some talent as a strategist,' she thought as he surveyed the room once again. Suddenly he grew as white as frost.

"Yes…" said Ron softly, "it's the only way. I've got to be taken."

"NO!" the other two Gryffindors shouted at the same time. Amanda's stomach churned. How hard did those chess pieces hit each other? They were stone. Would it be enough to kill him?

"That's chess!" Ron snapped. "You've got to make some sacrifices! I'll make my move and she'll take me—that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!"

The boy-who-lived didn't seem ready for that.

"But—"

"Do you want to stop Snape or not?"

"Ron—"

"Let him," Amanda said suddenly, wondering where her words were coming from when Harry shot her a look that could kill. "I don't want him to sacrifice himself, Harry, but what other choice do we have? Quirrell could have the Stone right now, and what do you think happens to Delilah once he doesn't need her?"

Harry clenched his fists as if looking for a reason to contradict her, but finding none.

Ron nodded at the silent agreement, despite Hermione's sniffling. With all the determination of an investigating Ravenclaw, Ron strode forward.

The white queen lunged, striking the Weasley across the head. He crumbled as Hermione screamed, and then he was drug to the side of the board. Amanda refused to move or look away until she saw him take a ragged breath. He was alive. Unconscious, but alive.

Harry followed Ron's instructions and moved three spaces to the left. The white king took his crown and threw it at Harry's feet. The rest of the white pieces stalked off the board, leaving a clear pathway to the next room.

Both Hermione and Amanda glanced at Ron. But Harry said, "He'll be alright."

"You know, I didn't think he had it in him," Amanda said to no one in particular. "I know you lot are Gryffindors, but even most of those arrogant risk takers would never do something like that. I underestimated him." She expected applause or perhaps a respectful nod from Harry. She did just compliment a Gryffindor—she deserved some credit. Yet Harry just turned to face the passageway before them.

"What d'you reckon is next?"

"Snape's and Quirrell's," Amanda answered. "Do either of you fancy fighting a troll?"

"Hopefully Snape's done that part for us," Harry spoke.

"You mean Quirrell," Amanda said automatically. Either Harry chose to ignore her, or he didn't hear her, for he just marched down the passageway with Hermione trailing close behind him.

The next chamber did, in fact, hold a troll, but it was knocked out cold by something that had given it a bloody head. Amanda stood and stared at it.

"Delilah helped you fight that thing?" Amanda asked, covering her nose. "How in Merlin's name did she do it?" She could have sworn Hermione looked quickly away from the troll at those words.

"Come on, I can't breathe," Harry urged, also covering his nose, coughing. Amanda followed Harry as closely as she could, happy when they were out of that chamber and away from the smell.

Amanda was not surprised when they found seven potions on a table in the middle of the next chamber. The fire did surprise her. Snape, after all, was not a very theatrical man.

"Look!" Hermione exclaimed, reaching for a roll of paper next to the potions. Amanda read the words from over Hermione's shoulder and smirked.

"I didn't know he liked riddles," she admitted. Riddles were games, and Snape never wasted his time on such things. At least not with Draco, Amanda, and Theo.

After reading the riddle, she looked at the bottles.

"This isn't magic, it's logic!" Hermione exclaimed, a wide grin on her face.

"Well, this one is definitely a poison," Amanda said, picking up a medium, rounded bottle and inspecting it.

"How do you know?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowed.

"The clarity and color of it," she said blatantly. Hermione opened her mouth and began to point at a second bottle, one with the same color within, but the Slytherin cut her off, saying, "The smell, too. Usually poisons are made to be odorless, so this one is used to throw the over-paranoid off. Especially since it smells like wine."

"But you don't know for sure. The riddle will let us know for certain," Hermione pointed out, and began picking apart the riddle. Amanda narrowed her eyes and decided to take the Gryffindor up on her challenge.

As the know-it-all muttered to herself, pointing at random potions, Amanda inspected each one, bringing up a list of possibilities each could be. As she went through them, she felt like the answer was right on the tip of her tongue, but each time she reached for it, it would vanish.

Eventually, she gave up. She knew she wasn't going to get anywhere with Hermione rushing about, and apparently the Gryffindor knew just what to do about that riddle.

"Got it!" Hermione exclaimed. "The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire toward the Stone." Amanda peered over at the tiny thing and frowned.

"I thought that was it," the Slytherin announced, although that wasn't the whole truth.

"There's only enough for one of us. It's hardly one swallow," Harry said, deflated.

Amanda glided over to him and whispered in his ear, "One human swallow and one snake swallow, perhaps." He glanced at her with an expression that told her he'd nearly forgotten what happened in the Gryffindor tower at the start of term.

"I need to find my sister," Amanda said, louder so that Hermione would stop giving her a suspicious glare. Harry bit his lip.

He looked to Hermione. "Which one will get you back through the purple flames?"

Hermione pointed to the bottle Amanda had thought to be the wine.

"You drink that," Harry said. Hermione looked to interrupt him, but he said, "No, listen. Get back and get to Ron. Grab brooms from the flying-key room, they'll get you out of the trapdoor and passed Fluffy—go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, we need him. I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I'm no match for him, really."

Amanda smirked. At least he got something right.

"But Harry—what about Amanda? And what if You-Know-Who's with him?" Hermione asked, shaking again.

"Well—I was lucky once, wasn't I?" Harry stated, pointing to his scar.

"And don't worry about me," Amanda said, giving Hermione the closest thing to a comforting smile as she could create. "I'll stay here and stand guard. If Quirrell tries to escape, I'll be the second defense."

Hermione gave no indication she caught the lie. She simply nodded, obviously too shaken to move. Then she surged forward and hugged Harry.

"Hermione," Harry groaned.

"Harry—you're a great wizard, you know."

"I'm not as good as you," Harry told her as the Gryffindor girl let go.

"Me! Books! And cleverness! There are more important things—friendship and bravery and—oh Harry—be careful!"

"You drink first," Harry said, brushing away her compliments. Amanda narrowed her eyes. What Gryffindor didn't sink his teeth into praise?

Hermione nodded again and gulped the potion. She shivered.

"It's not the poison?" asked Harry anxiously.

"No—but it's like ice."

"Quick, go, before it wears off."

"Good luck—take care—"

"Go!" Harry urged. Hermione nodded once more and hurried through the purple fire. Then the Boy-Who-Lived's bright green eyes locked onto her.

"You weren't telling the truth to Hermione, were you?" he asked.

"Obviously," Amanda answered with a roll of her eyes. "She wasn't going to leave me with you otherwise. Now are you ready? Most people freak the first time so just be warned, it feels odd."

"What feels odd?" Harry asked.

"Carrying a snake. Just hold out your hand, I'll do the rest," Amanda told him. She shifted. Her scales and slender body stretched as she welcomed the familiar feeling of having no legs, just flexible muscle and sleek black scales.

Harry carefully reached out for her. Amanda rose up and rested on the palm of his hand. She wasn't large. All she had to do was slither a few inches up his arm before wrapping her tail around his wrist.

His pulse was fast. Amanda ignored this as he brought her up to be level with the bottle that was to get them through the black flames.

"Let me drink first," she told him in parseltongue. When he hesitated, she said, "I promise this isn't a trick. I can't take Quirrell or the Dark Lord on my own. I need you to help me save Delilah."

The famous Gryffindor seemed to take that as an answer. He put the bottle as close as he could to her. She reached and flitted out her tongue, drinking what she hoped was just enough to get past the flames.

Her body flashed cold for a second, but then it was normal again as Harry swallowed the remaining potion.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she answered.

And he carried her through the black flames.


	17. Chapter 16

Harry set Amanda's snake form down upon entering the last chamber. She transformed and brushed herself off, her human form feeling slow and bulky now as it always did right after she shifted.

The Slytherin girl looked around. Other than the familiar mirror Amanda longed to go up to, the room was dark and hidden. She had to squint to see the details. Then she saw a familiar face, one far too similar to her own—

"DELILAH!" she shouted. She heard a snap. Ropes tethered to nothing sprang at her and tied around her body, holding her still. She struggled, but the magical ropes didn't budge. She shouted her sister's name again, "Delilah!" but the Hufflepuff didn't move from her unconscious state.

Harry gasped behind her, "You!"

That brought Amanda's attention back to the mirror, where a smiling Quirrell stood.

"I was wondering if I would be seeing you here, Potter," Quirrell responded.

"But—Snape—"

"Severus?" Quirrell laughed. Amanda gave a surge against the ropes with a loud hiss. He didn't deserve to call Snape by his first name. But Quirrell hardly paid any attention to her. "Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn't he? So useful to have him swooping around like an overgrown bat. Next to him, who would suspect p-p-oor, st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?"

"You tried to frame him!" Amanda spat. The former professor's cold eyes settled on her.

"I must admit I am surprised to see _you_ here, Miss Arisio. I expected your father to arrive. Perhaps he is still on his way."

"My father has nothing to do with this!" she hissed, struggling against the ropes once more. They were digging into her skin now, refusing to let go.

"Your father has _everything_ to do with this," Quirrell told her. His nose drew back with the anger that lightly coated his calm, cold voice. "Why do you think I took your sister? I needed protection against him. After he confronted me in that classroom—"

"That was him?" Amanda asked, her eyes narrowed in confusion as she remembered the argument Audrey overheard. "He was at Hogwarts?"

"Of course. He has been sneaking around, spying on me. He met with me to make sure I knew not to meddle with what was his. And then he went and made the beast immune to music. What other choice did I have, but to take your sister? And yet the Hogwarts professors thought _he_ was the genius."

Amanda's whole body froze. Lessons with Snape started popping up in her memory, lessons about strategy and playing on the assumptions of the enemy. ' _Our father wouldn't_ purposefully _allow Delilah to be captured, would he?'_ Amanda decided that if it was true, she was going to murder her dad the next time she saw him.

"But—Snape _hates_ me," Harry said. Amanda hissed. Couldn't that stupid Gryffindor accept what was right in front of him? But as she struggled to see over her shoulder, she didn't see a shocked boy. She saw determination.

Harry had a plan.

And it was at that point Amanda wished Snape would teach her Legilimency. She would have loved to know what the plan was. Still, she ceased in her struggling. Perhaps she could come up with her own plan…

"Oh, he does," said Quirrell. "Heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn't you know? They loathed each other. But he never wanted you dead."

Harry chose to ignore these words. "I saw you and Snape in the forest—"

"Yes," said the former professor, once again strolling around the mirror. "He was on to me by that time, trying to find out how far I'd got. He suspected me all along. Tried to frighten me—as though he could, when I had Lord Voldemort on my side…"

"The Dark Lord is on no one's side," Amanda hissed viciously. It came out on its own, as if the words were instinctual. Quirrell stopped and gazed at her coldly.

"The Dark Lord has given me power," he told her. "He recognized my talent when no other soul would. Even with my outstanding exam performances and my aptitude for defensive magic, no one paid any attention to me. The ones that hated me, laughed at me, told me I could never amount to anything with the skills I had. All anyone else had to say was how I was to be the next 'Andrew Coppin' or how similar I was to the Ravenclaw that had miraculously survived capture with enough information to lock up dozens of Death Eaters for life.

"So I went looking for your father a few years after I left school in a silly attempt to earn his respect and learn from him. Do you know what he said when I found him? He told me defensive magic wasn't _useful_ in the way that I had studied for seven long years, that it was an impractical way of dueling and would be replaced by less complex spells. Then he waved me off like all the others saying how naïve I was, how he could never make use of me, how _in the way_ I was _."_ Quirrell spat out the last part, his face twisting in anger. Amanda didn't know what the former professor was expecting. Didn't all the rumors about her father also end with 'but he is rude, inconsiderate, and an overall horrible human being'?

"He shall soon see. They will _all_ see. Degrading me was foolish of them…"

Quirrell went back to evaluating the mirror.

"What does this mirror do? How does it work? Help me, Master!"

" _Use the boy…use the boy…"_

Amanda stopped thinking. Then her thoughts flooded through at full force. She knew who the voice was, understanding it only because there was no one else it could have been. She shivered and quickly pushed herself for a plan— _any plan—_ that could get her and Delilah as far away from Quirrell as possible.

Quirrell faced the two first-years.

"Yes—Potter—come here."

With a single clap of his hands, Quirrell made the ropes around Harry disappear. Not Amanda's though.

"Come here," Quirrell ordered Harry. "Look in the mirror and tell me what you see."

Harry walked closer and closer, with Quirrell watching his every move.

Amanda shifted as a final idea struck her. She waited until Harry was at the mirror, and then she transformed.

Amanda waited as still as the walls. Neither enemy noticed her as Harry continued to look in the mirror. She relaxed before carefully slithering within the shadows as quietly as she could, keeping herself from darting straight to her sister.

' _Subtlety,'_ Snape's voice echoed through her head.

"Well? What do you see?" Quirrell demanded.

"I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore," Harry said quickly. "I—I've won the House Cup for Gryffindor."

Quirrell furiously shoved Harry to the side as Amanda got to Delilah, keeping to the darkness but still examining her sister as closely as she could. The Slytherin Heir found that her sister wasn't hurt, but she wasn't alright, either.

She nudged her sister with her nose. ' _Come on, wake up before He notices I'm gone!'_ Amanda shouted internally.

Out of the corner of her eye, Amanda noticed Harry backing away slowly toward the door. She found that odd. Hadn't he said he was going to keep Quirrell from getting the stone no matter the cost?

" _He lies…He lies…"_ rasped the voice, causing Amanda to tense. Every part of her wanted to both destroy that voice and run from it; it was _wrong_ and very, very threatening.

Amanda gazed at her sister. ' _I can't give up. Delilah's counting on me. I have to save her.'_ So she turned and slid around the mirror, slowly making her way behind it.

"Potter, come back here!" Quirrell shouted.

" _Let me speak to him…face-to-face…"_

Quirrell paled. Amanda slithered faster, trying to ignore her rebelling instincts and quickly beating heart.

"Master, you are not strong enough!"

" _I have strength enough…for this…"_

Amanda stopped. She couldn't help it. Quirrell unraveled the turban from his head. His _head._ Then the former professor straightened, and Amanda recoiled at the sight.

There was a pale face on the back of Quirrell's head with red eyes and slits for nostrils. Amanda wanted to vomit both out of fear and disgust. Every primal instinct of danger kept running through her head while another part of her hissed and snarled at the being that had betrayed her family and nearly destroyed all that was good about the culture of the pureblood.

Amanda held all of that back, however, with a simple glance to Delilah. She forced herself to keep going.

" _Harry Potter…"_ said the head—Voldemort.

" _See what I have become? Mere shadow and vapor…I have form only when I can share another's body….but there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds…"_

Amanda tried to ignore the raspy, high pitched voice as she passed the mirror from behind. She tried to push the words straight out of her head with her own mantra: ' _For Delilah. For Delilah. For Delilah.'_

" _Now…why don't you give me that Stone in your pocket?"_

Harry stumbled backwards. So _that's_ why Harry was going backwards. The information altered her plans, and she sped up her slithering, coming to the side of it, around it. She was careful to stay out of Quirrell's eyesight.

" _Don't be a fool,"_ Voldemort was saying. " _Better save your own life and join me…or you'll meet the same end as your parents…They died begging me for mercy."_

" _LIAR!"_ Harry shouted.

Quirrell began to walk backwards, toward Harry. Amanda froze as he got further away. She thought quickly. She weighed her options.

Then she struck.

Quirrell saw her a moment too soon. She felt her body freeze in mid-air, and then every part of her burned. She could feel herself forced back into her human form, one bone at a time. She felt like she was being crushed and stretched at the same time, each second dragging on for what seemed like hours.

Amanda collapsed when it was finally over. Every part of her was sore and her head was pulsing with new pain every second. She struggled to get up, but her legs and arms would not move. All she could do was see Quirrell standing over her.

" _Ah…the Arisio…"_ came the face's smooth parseltongue. Amanda managed to struggle to her knees, but her body would not allow her to stand. When she glared up to Quirrell, she was met with the face's red eyes.

" _Your grandmother would be disappointed…She would never attack me, her master…"_

"' _An Arisio is only a servant to herself,'"_ Amanda hissed, her mother's words the only thing coming to her mind as she tried to catch her breath. What spell had she been _hit_ with? What was she going to do? That _thing_ was looking at her. That _thing_ had her at its mercy.

The face chuckled. " _We could do great things, Amanda…We are two Slytherin Heirs with a basilisk at our command…and your powers have yet to be developed…I could help you. . . I could make you the finest witch of your age…"_

Amanda could only see the face. Hopefully Harry had sense enough to run. Hopefully. But was Harry worth it? Would this thing still hurt Delilah? She quickly looked to her sister, who was still sleeping. Still hurt.

" _I can heal her, if you'd like…I can protect all of the ones you love…All I would require is loyalty…Loyalty and the stone…"_

' _I need to do the brave thing,'_ she thought. ' _the right thing.'_ Deciding to give Harry as much time as he needed, she shakily got to her feet and stared at him as if she were contemplating it. She knew she wasn't the best at acting, but maybe Voldemort would only be looking for what he wanted. ' _Playing on assumptions,'_ Snape's voice echoed in her head.

" _But what about Theo? And Draco?"_ she asked.

" _If they are worthy, they, too, can join me…Soon we will have many followers…and those followers will help us achieve our power…our greatest potential…"_

Amanda took a step forward, standing tall. She nodded as if she were accepting the terms. Then she strode around, looking to Harry, who had not run. She stopped once she was in between the Boy-Who-Lived and Voldemort. Several spells went through her head, but none were powerful enough. None would save her from a Dark Lord.

" _I will never join you,"_ she said. She turned and lunged straight into Quirrell, knocking him down into the mirror. She heard the face hissing, Quirrell shouting, glass splintering. The former professor struggled against her, but she pushed back, kicking and hitting when she could.

"RUN, HARRY!" she bellowed over her shoulder.

It was a mess of limbs and shouting. She hardly knew how she was keeping a full grown man down, but she continued fighting with the hope Harry would get as far away as he could.

Quirrell managed to snap his fingers. Amanda was blasted backwards right into the stairs. Any part of her that had recovered from the previous spell now stung, and her lungs were failing at their job.

Through her dizziness and confusion, she saw Quirrell coming for her. She tried to turn into a snake, but it was like hitting a brick wall. Her body flat out refused.

" _NO! THE BOY! KILL THE BOY!"_ Voldemort was yelling, but the former professor paid no heed. Panicked, Amanda could only watch as a second spell pinned her down, disabling her mobility. She watched in horror as Quirrell raised his hand—

" _BOZHIDAR!"_

Harry appeared and grabbed the arm, pulling it back. Amanda gasped as Quirrell shouted with rage, turning on Harry with as much fearful fury as a trapped wild animal. She couldn't see enough to know what had happened, but Quirrell was in pain. A lot of it.

" _KILL HIM! KILL HIM!"_ the face shrieked.

Quirrell snarled and lunged for Harry, but the determined Gryffindor grabbed his face. The former professor howled in agony. But the professor fought back, and Harry stumbled. As Voldemort shrieked and Quirrell screamed with anger beyond measure, Amanda could only watch in horror as the Boy-Who-Lived struggled aimlessly and pointlessly.

Then Dumbledore came. The Headmaster swooped down to a writhing Quirrell and pushed him away. Amanda felt the spell release her, and as she scrambled to her feet, she realized why she had been released.

Quirrell was dead.

As Dumbledore fussed over Harry, waving his wand, Amanda could not look away from the body. She walked toward it, her steps slow as if Quirrell would spring to life any moment. When she was just a few steps away, she paled and shivered with a mix of disgust, fear, and dread.

The body lay there, sprawled out and still. Quirrell's skin was red and blistered. The eyes were what mostly kept her still, though. They were wide open and lifeless. The deepness within them—as there was in every human being—was closed off, nearly without color.

"He…he's dead," Amanda realized. Her voice was quiet and without any of its usual bite.

Dumbledore gazed up from Harry. She couldn't read what was on his face, but it wasn't anything reassuring. She needed someone comforting at that moment. She needed Audrey or Elena or even Gran, and she didn't often admit that.

But what she saw in front of her was… _wrong._ Even more wrong than the parasitic Voldemort. It filled her with a fear she couldn't describe, an instinct deep within her that would not go away.

"Amanda…?"

The voice was so weak, Amanda hardly heard it. She gasped, seeing Delilah attempting to sit up. She darted over to her sister's side and hugged her.

"Delilah, you're alright!"

"Cedric…" she said. Amanda could tell she was hurt somewhere. She wasn't coherent at all.

"What was that?" she asked, letting go of her Hufflepuff sister to stare into her eyes.

"Cedric…he's in a closet…"

And then she collapsed into Amanda's arms, unconscious. Amanda hugged her sister tightly, willing her tears to go away.

' _Please be alright. Please be alright. Please be alright.'_

Her eyes flung to Dumbledore, who was in the process of levitating Harry.

"Professor!" she shouted over to him frantically. "Professor, can you help her?"

But the headmaster was no longer looking at Harry. He was looking at something just beyond Amanda with calculating, yet soft eyes.

" _It seems I am not needed,"_ came a voice that made Amanda tense. Bozhidar. He had come. She had nearly forgotten she had called out for him.

" _She is hurt,"_ Amanda said. " _She's alive, but she needs to go to the Hospital Wing, she needs to see Madam Pomfrey—I think there might be something wrong with her head, I think she may have banged it—"_

" _Calm down, Amanda,"_ Bozhidar told her, coming closer to nudge her with his giant nose as softly as a massive snake could. " _There is much life still in your sister. She will live."_ Amanda nodded. Some part of her knew it. So why was she still shaking?

"Who is this, Miss Coppin?" asked the Headmaster. Amanda flinched. How could she answer? No one was supposed to know about the Chamber of Secrets or what was in it. No one.

"A friend," Amanda said simply.

"A friend from a certain Chamber, perhaps? One only a Parselmouth can access?" the Headmaster pressed.

"I called for him to help when Quirrell attacked me," Amanda told him, suddenly pleased with the subtly and vagueness lessons Snape had taught her. To Bozhidar, she asked, " _How did you come so quickly?"_

" _I stayed close to the trapdoor. I wanted to be certain you were not in danger,"_ Bozhidar answered simply. Amanda closed her eyes, sighing a heavy sigh of both relief and safety. With Bozhidar, she felt protected.

"We must get Harry and your sister to the Hospital Wing," Dumbledore reminded her. Amanda gazed at him. He had still not taken his eyes off of the basilisk, and where she expected to see fear or disdain, she saw intrigue and curiosity along with a look that made him seem deep in thought.

Amanda slowly let go of her unconscious sister. It was heartbreaking to see her happy-go-lucky, oblivious-to-a-fault sister laying there paler than she ever had been.

Amanda stood up and watched carefully as Dumbledore levitated the Hufflepuff gently into the air and lead her toward the passageway door. She turned back to her giant snake.

" _You can go back now, Bozhidar. I'll come and see you as soon as I can,"_ she said. Then, just as he began to move, she added, " _Thank you for coming for me."_

" _Of course,"_ he said sincerely, then made his way out of the chamber.

"Basilisks are tricky creatures," Dumbledore told her when she joined him near the door. "But I suppose, if anyone could control them, it would be one as special as you."

Amanda blinked, stunned as he walked back toward the potions' chamber. Did he know? Did he know her parseltongue was linked to being the Slytherin Heir? Or did he only suspect?

Amanda shook her head, which gave her a headache. She was far too anxious and tired and worried and who knew what else to be thinking about what an eccentric man like Dumbledore meant.

So she simply followed the Headmaster and the two unconscious first years back through the chambers which they had come.


	18. Chapter 17

The following day, the hospital wing was a mess of Coppins, Gryffindors, and the visitors following thereafter.

Audrey was in a bed next to Elena's, who was still unconscious and looking to be the most injured. "Acromantula venom is not a nice venom," Madam Pomfrey had said when she asked about it.

Then there was Delilah, who wasn't sleeping but wasn't that awake, either. Cedric sat by her. He had been found in a closet and appeared to have been hexed badly, but either he recovered quickly or he was just too worried about Delilah to care that he had his own bed in the hospital wing.

Harry and Ron were doing better. Ron, thank Merlin, had a thick skull, and Madam Pomfrey healed it easily. After Amanda had explained his injury, Audrey was amazed the Gryffindor was up and around after such a blow from a stone chessman. Harry was healed too, but he still slept soundly.

Then there were the visitors. Hermione moved in as soon as she was allowed to, speaking to Ron in hushed tones as they both looked at Harry with concern. Cedric's friends came too, but the third year Hufflepuff hardly listened to them. Amanda, who had been free to leave before Audrey had even woken up, and Theo were there any chance they could get. They would inform Audrey of all the rumors about the adventures of Harry Potter, his friends, and the Coppins while making sure to get an update on Elena whenever they could.

The few minutes Amanda was alone with Audrey, however, she talked about something else.

The Slytherin still couldn't transform.

Madam Pomfrey had done all she could. A diagnosis spell revealed the Slytherin had been hit with a spell meant for animagi and her body, having no idea what to do with said spell since she was neither an animagus or a 'non-animagus,' was refusing to let go of the spell and the most they could do was wait for it to wear off. Amanda was not pleased, but she seemed thrilled to be free from the hospital wing despite spending most of the day there anyway with her sisters.

Audrey knew she should have been relieved. All of her sisters were okay, no one had died, and You-Know-Who had not returned. Yet she felt…disappointed.

Elena was being praised as the bravest Ravenclaw in history after going straight into the Forbidden Forest for her sister. Delilah, according to Cedric's friends, was going to be welcomed back to Hufflepuff with a party larger than the Hogwarts' beginning of term feast. Of course Amanda was being hailed a Slytherin Hero, and not just by those in her House. Gryffindors, surprisingly, were giving her high-fives and cheering at her in the corridors wherever she went. Literally shoving You-Know-Who into a mirror to save their special Boy-Who-Lived forced the house of gold and red to somewhat look past her Slytherin ties.

Audrey wasn't known for any of that, though. She was only mentioned as the damsel in distress who ended up in the Forbidden Forest, running for her life until she was saved by her older sister. A part of her hated herself for running. She had been a coward.

Yet, another part of Audrey yelled at her for thinking like that. The students talking about the grand tale of Amanda Coppin and Harry Potter hadn't seen what she'd seen. They couldn't have even begun to imagine it.

The familiar fear crept in. Audrey closed her eyes and gave her head a firm shake as if that would stir up her thoughts and let her think about something else.

"Audrey, you alright?" asked Ron as he passed her bed. Hermione was headed out the door, either oblivious to Ron's pause or the Weasley had already told her he had to speak to Coppin first.

"I'm fine," she said almost too quickly. She sighed. "The Forbidden Forest was…scary, that's all."

"Yeah, I got that from when we went, and we were only in there for a few hours," Ron agreed. Audrey could hardly believe that was only a few weeks ago. She narrowed her eyes as she remembered just went on that day.

"You haven't told anyone about what I can do, have you?" she asked him. It took him a few moments to realize what she meant.

"Oh, that. No, I haven't told anyone. Not even your sisters. So…does that mean you'll do my potions homework next year?" Ron asked. He was so hopeful it was almost adorable. She was inclined to say no since she knew she would be busy studying on her own, but who was she to deny him when he had kept her secret for her?

"Yes, that's right," Audrey said with a nod. Talking about normal things made her heart rate settle and her breathing even. "I'm just going to warn you, though, potions isn't my best subject."

"Well, you're better than me, and that's all I care," Ron told her. "I probably failed my exam…"

"Miss Coppin," came Madam Pomfrey's voice. She was further down the rows of white-sheet beds, calling over the group of students. Delilah shifted in her incoherent state and Amanda looked up from her seat next to Cedric.

"Er, _Audrey_ Coppin," the medi witch corrected herself. "You are free to go. Just avoid strenuous movements until term ends, if you could."

Ron left her before she got into her school robes, finally comfortable in her skin without the "healer-chills" as Amanda called them. She watched Delilah fall asleep, then tried to reassure Cedric that no, he didn't fail her, and yes, she would forgive him. Yet, same as the last hundred times, it was a fruitless attempt.

When Audrey announced she would be returning to the Ravenclaw tower, Amanda said her farewells, explaining that she would stay with Delilah until Madam Pomfrey kicked her out. Audrey smiled a silent 'thank you for staying with her so I can do other things.' After a squeeze of Elena's hand followed by the whisper: "Get better soon" the Ravenclaw left the hospital wing, hoping to feel somewhat normal after so many hours in the presence of the injured.

She didn't.

Students that passed her started whispering at the speed of light, their voices loud in her highly sensitive ears.

"…is that the one that fought You-Know-Who?"

"…no, look, Ravenclaw, the one that got kidnapped…"

"I wonder what she saw in the forest? I heard they came across giants!"

"Poor girl…I hope she's okay."

Audrey tried to walk calmly up to the Ravenclaw tower, but it was hard, especially since the closer she got, the more Ravenclaws were around, and the house of blue and bronze were the worst at hiding their judgements.

Audrey wanted to collapse in her own bed and sleep until term ended, but her curiosity drove her straight to the leaderboards that seemed to glint with the standings. Some of the exams weren't graded yet, Audrey knew, but nevertheless she tapped on the board with her wand and her entire year showed up. The first four read:

 **Hermione Granger**

 **Theodore Nott**

 **Audrey Coppin**

 **Terry Boot**

Audrey felt a pit in her stomach. She had done it—third, after all her hard work. Yet…' _Why don't I feel happy?'_ she thought. But she knew why. Even Hermione was going to be praised. 'A bright young Gryffindor at the top of her year!'

Audrey looked at the points. It was only a few. Perhaps if she could get extra credit, she could beat at least Theo, possibly even Hermione. If she did that, maybe people would stop looking at her like she was about to break down and cry for help at any second.

So the Ravenclaw made her decision. She paced through the tower and back down the long winding steps toward where she hoped Professor Flitwick would be, grading exams.

Audrey was less confident the closer she got to Professor Flitwick's office. What if he wouldn't hear of it? What if he thought badly of her, wanting to get ahead just to prove she wasn't useless? And could he possibly remove points if he found her request annoying? She threw those thoughts away. She _needed_ to do this.

The horse girl strode up to entrance of the office. The door was wide open as it normally was, so she knocked on the door frame. The tiny man looked up from his quill and parchment, smiling as he saw her.

"Why, Miss Coppin! I wasn't expecting you," said Professor Flitwick. "Come in, come in! Is there something you wish to speak to me about? A certain creature you saw in the forest, or maybe what spells your sister used?"

Audrey shuffled forward, her doubt returning. Quickly, before she changed her mind, she asked, "Is it possible to earn extra credit after the exams have been turned in?"

"Extra credit? Whatever for? You are in the top three of your year, that is quite the accomplishment!" her head of house exclaimed. So he did think it was stupid. Trying to keep herself from averting her gaze, she answered.

"I, er, I just think that I could do better, and I don't think I did well on the History of Magic exam, but it's just a stupid thought, obviously I can't earn extra credit…"

She stopped when she saw a shift in Flitwicks expression from raised eyebrows to a relaxed smile.

"My dear, this wouldn't have anything to do with the rumors going about the school of what happened to you, would it?" Audrey's cheeks burned with shame. Now even she thought this was a stupid idea.

Professor Flitwick went on, standing up on his chair to be even with her. "Miss Coppin, rumors are only rumors. You did not fail in the Forbidden Forest. Not even half of the students here would have survived last night, but you did. That takes a rare kind of person."

' _I only survived because of luck and Elena,'_ Audrey thought bitterly. Then said, "I'm not special or brave, all I did was run..."

"I did not say it takes a _brave_ person," the charms professor told her. She looked at him and narrowed her eyes. Sensing her question, he went on, "Perhaps you are not being hailed a hero like Mr. Potter and your sisters, but that's alright. You can leave the theatrics to the other houses. You have something just as important."

Audrey tilted her head to the side. What was he talking about?

"You have the ability to _adapt,_ Miss Coppin, a rare thing among most wizards and witches. You are not one to simply memorize and execute. You discovered a question and did not let go of that question until you answered it. You learned from what was around you, not just from your textbooks, and not just for your grades," Professor Flitwick explained. There was a gentleness in his voice, and a sort of pride. But she hadn't done anything that year that he was describing.

"But, grades—it's what everyone has been worrying about all year!" Audrey told him.

"Ah, yes, a failure on my part. You see, grades are numbers—an obsession. Even Ravenclaws who are better at experimenting fall under the spell of competitiveness. They want to be the best at what they do, the absolute master above everyone else. How else does one become recognized for their efforts and achievements?

"But this was Professor Quirrell's 'fatal flaw,' as the muggles call it. He fixated on the subject of defensive magic and decided to be the best, and he was willing to do anything for it, even defy everything he had once taught. That is why Ravenclaw, in my humble opinion, should not be about grades or becoming the best."

"Then what is, Professor?" Audrey asked, genuinely curious. A bright smile flew across his face.

"Being _different,_ Miss Coppin! Thinking outside the box! Asking questions never asked before, delving into subjects no one is talking about, taking two unrelated subjects and bringing them together! _That_ is what Ravenclaw is about." Audrey frowned, taking it all in. Didn't he say she had the ability to adapt? But what had she done to deserve that?

"I just ran," she repeated softly.

"My dear, you did more than just run this year," Professor Flitwick told her, radiating happiness. "I was listening this morning when you were explaining to Professor McGonagall what you discovered about the unicorns this year. It was outstanding! Not many first years have walked through the Hogwarts halls with the ability to bring together such a complex set of knowledge on a creature we still have yet to completely understand." Audrey should have been honored, but her mind was hellbent on making sure she didn't feel proud at all.

"My father gave me most of the books to read, professor, and Elena helped me make sense of it all," Audrey admitted to him.

"Did he tell you which order to read them or which chapters to read?" asked the professor. "Did Miss Nott explain just what the blood does or what kinds of Black Magic could have been behind it all?"

"No, but—"

"Stop trying to discredit yourself, Miss Coppin, no great wizard or witch has ever succeeded in doing so," he told her with a wink. "You heard the unicorn's death and you did not just settle on allowing the professors handle the situation. You researched as much as you could, reached out for help and peer review when needed, and in the end, collected an astonishing quality of information!"

"I—er, thank you, professor, I—"

"In _fact,"_ said Professor Flitwick, now a mischievous glint in his eye, "There is this newspaper for talented youth that has been owling me for _weeks_ about publishing a written work of one of my students. But none of the essays written this year were quite up to that standard…perhaps you could help me?"

Audrey's eyes couldn't have grown wider.

"You will have to gather all your research again, of course, and I will have to look through the finished work before it could be sent to the publishers, but I daresay that won't take long at all. Not with all the work you have already put in, hmm?"

"I—yes—but I thought—doesn't everyone already know about unicorns?" she asked.

"The vast majority simply know unicorn blood is a nasty thing to consume. There are few accounts of what the substance does in any particular case. Your thoroughness of the unicorn's aging process and herd mentality is also rare—not many have been observed to such a degree. And all the creatures that can catch them; that is definitely not something the average witch or wizard knows or thinks about."

Audrey's head was spinning. None of her sisters had been in a newspaper, and her _writing_ was going to be in one! She started to think of how she was going to construct it, what research she was going to include, how she was going to get all those books back from the library during the summer.

She looked up to her professor to ask him her million questions, but stopped when she saw him beaming with pride.

"See, Miss Coppin? You may have only gotten the third best grades in your year, but only _you_ will be published in a newspaper," he said.

That sentence alone would make her entire week.

* * *

Delilah had woken up. Woken up was the wrong phrase. She had been awake for a day, but she didn't remember any of it. After waking, she realized the sky was darkening. Harry and Elena were asleep, and no visitors sat next to the beds. It was just the three of them.

Along with Cedric.

The third year Hufflepuff had leapt out of his chair and called for Madam Pomfrey when she had asked him why he was there. After fifteen minutes of tests and endless questions, the medi-witch declared she was perfectly fine. All she needed was rest, and Cedric was going to make sure she was the most comfortable she had ever been in her lifetime.

"Do you need any more pillows?"

"No."

"What about blankets? Are you cold?"

"No."

"Are you too warm? There is a cooling spell that I know—"

"I'm fine," Delilah said. He nodded, easing back into his chair. He looked ready to follow her every command.

"You're jumpy," the younger Hufflepuff noted.

Cedric seemed startled. "What? Oh, er, sorry." It was as if he were trying to look relaxed. He failed.

"You don't have to stay," Delilah told him simply. "Madam Pomfrey said I was fine." He averted his eyes. Delilah tried to find out what was making him so jumpy.

"Delilah—" Cedric began, but stopped. Then he shook his head.

"What?" she asked.

"I, er…" he trailed off. Then he sighed. He looked at her. "Are you mad at me?" Out of every question in the world, that was not the one she thought he would be giving her.

"No…is there are reason I should be?" Delilah asked, her face unconsciously settling into a scowl as it always did when she was dissecting a puzzle.

"Well, I—I mean I—" he cut himself off a second time. He exhaled. Then he began again, "I didn't help against Quirrell and You-Know-Who. I didn't even warn you he was coming."

Delilah tilted her head. "Why would I be mad at you for that?" Cedric gazed at her. His eyes were a little wide—he was surprised. But why? It hadn't been _his_ fault Quirrell had captured her.

"I told you I would help you this year. I promised, and I let you down," Cedric told her once he had recovered. He acted like this was an obvious conclusion to come to and was trying to convince her of the same. Was it?

"Quirrell was a full grown wizard, Cedric, and You-Know-Who was with him. You're lucky you aren't dead," came a voice that had Delilah lifting her gaze to the hospital wing doors. Rory was strolling in with his nonchalant stride with Evan tailing him.

"We've told him this more than once, you know," Evan told Delilah with his blue eyes crinkling into a kind smile. "He just won't listen."

"I think he's just disappointed he didn't get to play the daring knight and save his damsel in distress," Rory jabbed, smirking.

"Isn't it almost curfew?" Cedric said sharply. His cheeks were red.

"Why d'you think we're here?" Rory asked, throwing his hands up in the air so hard his curls shook.

"To be annoying," the third year Hufflepuff Seeker mumbled. Delilah giggled. Cedric perked up like a hopeful puppy.

"We're _here,"_ Rory pressed, "because you need some _sleep."_

"He hasn't left that chair since he woke up," Evan explained in a stage-whisper as he leaned toward the first year in the conversation.

"And now that you are awake and _safe,"_ he said as he gave a pointed glare to Cedric, "Cedric is coming back with us even if we have to drag him." Rory stood tall as if he were prepared to do just that.

"But she just woke up!" Cedric protested, his face setting into deep worry.

"I'm okay, Cedric," Delilah spoke up, beating Rory and Evan to it. She smiled at the fourteen-year-old and continued, "You can come see me in the morning."

"Don't say that, he'll be here before the sun is up!" Evan joked with a laugh. Cedric shot him a half-hearted glare.

"That's fine," Delilah said, her sweet smile widening. "I could use the company."

"See? Even _she's_ telling you to come with us!" Rory said triumphantly. Cedric looked from his friends to Delilah. He sighed and got up once he realized he was outnumbered. Just before he started walking away, however, he turned to face Delilah.

"So you really aren't mad at me?"

Rory groaned as Evan chuckled and shook his head. Delilah, though, smiled.

"Not at all! You did as best you could. In fact, you _did_ help me! There was a room with broomsticks, and Quirrell told me to ride it, so I did. And I did it well!" she said, practically shimmering. Cedric smiled a true smile.

"It's a good thing we had those flying lessons together, isn't it?" he asked in his friendly, normal way.

Delilah nodded. "Exactly!"

Cedric's smile deepened. He seemed much more like himself.

"I will see you tomorrow, Delilah, I promise," he told her. She nodded firmly.

"Tomorrow," she said.

"Are you two lovebirds done?" Rory asked, his arms crossed as Cedric began to walk to the doors.

" _Rory_ …" Cedric said, exasperated.

"What?" said Rory defensively. "The sooner we get to the common room, the sooner I will stop talking." Cedric laughed.

"As if that could ever happen."

* * *

The next day, Delilah realized she had never been gotten so much attention in her life. Amanda was there almost as early as Cedric. Audrey had come too, asking her a million questions. Delilah was pleased to see Audrey was alright, though. Neville came too, but he only awkwardly stood at the door, saw her, and left. It was quite odd.

All of her visitors were amazed at the story she told about what happened. None of them could believe she broke the Imperious Curse. Theo said it was impossible. Even Cedric was astonished.

Delilah soon managed to get the story of what happened to her sisters and Harry. It was all quite remarkable.

"Who would have thought we would have such an interesting first year?" Delilah asked after the stories were told. Audrey groaned.

"Hopefully next year is normal," she said.

The next day was not normal, though. Both Harry and Elena had woken up.

Harry woke up first, with Professor Dumbledore right at his side talking to him about various things. Delilah couldn't hear them, though. She suspected it was because of a spell.

When Elena woke up a few hours later, it was different. Everyone—Cedric, Theo, Amanda, Audrey, Neville, Ron, and Hermione—had been in the hospital wing visiting the Delilah. The third year Ravenclaw was quite drowsy at first, but she still managed to answer all of Madam Pomfrey's questions. Their older sister's coherence grew steadily throughout the hour after she was given a few potions and a calming spell.

Then the teachers came.

Professor Sprout, Professor Flitwick, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape and even Professor Dumbledore crowded around Elena, asking her specific questions about what happened in the Forbidden Forest. Audrey filled in when she could.

After that, the teachers turned on Delilah, Amanda, and the three first year Gryffindors to answer even more questions about what happened down the trapdoor. Delilah made sure to avoid talking about transforming—she had already told Professor Sprout in private what had really happened.

"And then Quirrell was gone, and Professor Dumbledore came…" Amanda paused, giving a look to Dumbledore that Delilah couldn't read.

"Well, you all certainly had quite the adventure!" the Headmaster announced, clapping his heads together. "I am glad you are all safe and healing. You all deserve a nice week of uninterrupted rest!"

"And points, Headmaster," spoke Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, yes, I think these brave students have been looking forward more than just rest!" Dumbledore exclaimed.

And so, following that, the points were distributed. First, Snape announced that Amanda would be receiving 30 for her strategy and bravery. Then Professor Flitwick announced that Elena would be getting 40 points, also for her bravery but also for adapting when faced with danger. Harry gained the most for what he did, a total of 60. Amanda didn't seem to mind that she got less, though. At least not openly. Hermione and Ron received 50 each for getting through the chambers, both of them awestruck once they realized it. Then Neville, to everyone's surprise, got 10 points, giving Gryffindor a total 170 addition. Delilah wished she knew how many points each house had before this. She knew Gryffindor had to have moved up a place or two.

"Professor Sprout?" asked Professor McGonagall at last. Delilah's head of house stepped forward with a wide grin.

"Well, if Miss Delilah Coppin really did break the Imperious Curse, I think fifty points is the only sufficient number, don't you, Minerva?"

Professor McGonagall's thin lips transformed into a smile. "Yes."

Delilah was speechless, her eyes wide as she felt Cedric grinning wildly at her. Fifty points? Not even Elena had gotten so much, and she had gone and saved Audrey! What was so amazing about what she did? She only did what was right, right?

"Congratulations, Delilah!" Cedric whispered to her through his grin.

"Alright, now that you've gotten through all that, out!" came Madam Pomfrey's voice. "These students all need rest!"

"As you wish," spoke Professor McGonagall. Looking to Harry, she added, "It is good to see you, Mr. Potter."

"You too, Professor," said Harry dutifully.

Flitwick whispered a few quick words to Elena, and Professor Sprout gave Delilah a wink. Then the professors headed out, Dumbledore without a word. Delilah found that odd, he always had something to say.

"50 points!" exclaimed Amanda, crossing her arms. "That is really unfair! Between that and Gryffindor's 170 added points, Slytherin's probably last now."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ravenclaw didn't come close to Slytherin or Hufflepuff before this," Elena reminded the Slytherin. With a little laugh, she added, "Seems our poor Quidditch has thwarted us once again."

"It's really close," Hermione said from Harry's bed, though she was grinning. "Last I checked, Hufflepuff and Slytherin were tied."

"Things could still change," Amanda broke in, her eyes narrowed.

"Not now. In _Hogwarts, A History_ I read that yesterday was the last day to award points," Hermione explained.

"Then why did they just add points?" Amanda asked.

Hermione shrugged. "They must have wanted all of us to be awake."

Delilah grinned, exclaiming to Cedric, "Those Quidditch wins are paying off!"

"Not to mention your _fifty points!"_ he said with a gentle shove. "That'll certainly help toward the house cup!"

Delilah grinned along with her third year friend. Fifty points was amazing, but seeing Cedric so happy made her happy too. They went on excitedly whispering to each other.

No one in the room was quiet after learning of the now three-way battle for the House cup, so it was no surprise when Madam Pomfrey stormed over to them, pointed at the door, and said, "If you lot can't stay quiet, then you can leave! Even you, Miss Delilah Coppin. You are fine enough now."

Cedric was overjoyed to hear that. After she was back into her Hogwarts robes, he led her out of the hospital wing at a skip, telling her all the things Hufflepuff had been saying about her.

"…and I heard a prefect saying they say you're the bravest Hufflepuff since Helga Hufflepuff herself, and I don't think they're exaggerating," Cedric was saying. Delilah was surprised to find her grin could grow wider.

"All I did was break a curse," she said for what felt like the millionth time.

"You did more than that, Delilah Coppin!" Cedric announced, also saying it for the millionth time. "You broke an _Unforgivable_ Curse, just like Harry Potter!"

"Oh, don't make it sound like that, loads of people have broken the Imperious Curse…" she mumbled, her skin becoming hot without how loudly Cedric was saying all those nice things.

"No, they haven't! My dad says it's as rare a feat as any," Cedric continued. "He says—"

"Cedric!" shouted Rory, who had just come around the corner. Evan was, as always, close beside him. The two jogged up to Delilah and Cedric, panting like they had run up to the Ravenclaw tower and back.

"How many points did they give her?" Rory asked. Cedric seemed taken aback and speechless.

"Er, fifty—"

"Outstanding!" Evan said, his mouth open in amazement. Delilah felt both a huge swelling of her stomach and an increase in her skin's temperature.

"Outstanding? She could have very well just won Hufflepuff the house cup for the first time in a decade!" Rory exclaimed.

"Is that where you were? The hourglasses?" Cedric asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Well I knew as soon as I saw all the professors heading into the hospital wing what was about to happen, so Evan and I rushed over there with a crowd of students—but all the gems were gone!"

Cedric blinked. "Gone?"

Evan nodded. "According to some Ravenclaw this is the last day to give points. But anyway everyone started fighting about what they saw earlier. Some say Hufflepuff and Slytherin were tied. Some say they saw Slytherin ahead."

"I still say I saw Hufflepuff ahead," Rory said proudly.

"So how much did your sister get—the Slytherin?" Evan questioned before Rory could say anything further.

"Thirty," she said quickly, surprised Evan even remembered one of her sisters was in Slytherin. Rory leaped into the air.

"We've got the House Cup!"

"You don't know that, Slytherin could have been ahead—"

"Oh, don't ruin my fun, Evan—"

"Miss Coppin, there you are!" exclaimed Professor Sprout, a familiar wolf statue in her hand. "I nearly forgot to give this back to you. You best keep it safe, it is a useful little thing." She gave a smile to each of the third years, then strode off outside toward the greenhouses.

"You better get that back to your room, it looks heavy," Rory told her.

"I can carry it for you," Cedric offered instantly.

"Oh, come on!" Rory groaned.

"We should be getting to the common room anyway, I think a few of your friends want to see you," Evan told her. Delilah found that odd. She didn't really have many friends in Hufflepuff aside from the three in front of her.

Still, they continued toward their common room with Rory demanding they hear about what happened with Professor Quirrell and You-Know-Who. By the time she started to explain what happened next to the mirror, they were opening up their way to the basement, and whatever she was saying was drowned out by a wave of cheering, shouting, and screaming.

"Delilah's back!" shouted Hannah Abbott, and that was everyone's cue to crowd around her, asking questions she couldn't even hear because of all the other noise.

"Be careful everyone, she just got back!" Cedric was trying to say, but none of them were paying attention.

"STOP!" bellowed Rory, his normally projected voice becoming a loud roar to the rest of the Hufflepuffs. They quieted immediately, though there were still a few whispers. Angrily, Rory said, "I said surprise party! _Party!_ Is this any way to treat our honored guests? You guys are acting like a bunch of hungry dragons!"

"Surprise party?" Cedric asked, looking as stunned as Delilah felt.

"For me?" Delilah asked.

"For _both_ of you! You managed to win that game against Slytherin and Delilah, she just beat You-Know-Who!" shouted a student that was somewhere near the back of the common room. It looked like the whole house was there, some crowded onto the tables and couches.

"I didn't beat You-Know-Who…" Delilah said.

"But you attacked him! I heard he was so injured, he wasn't even that much of a threat by the time Potter and your sister got there!" exclaimed another student. Delilah opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a rush of other students announcing what they had heard about her adventures down the trapdoor.

"Oi! Does it matter? She's a hero!" Rory shouted over the crowd. They cheered at this. "And so is Cedric! So let's celebrate!" The roar of the Hufflepuff's could have rivaled Gryffindor's cheers during the Quidditch matches. Hufflepuffs were a mighty bunch when they were together, Delilah realized.

She was drawn to Cedric's hearty laughing. He looked so happy as Rory and Evan rushed over, raising him on their shoulders. Before she knew it, Delilah was being raised too by a few older years. There was a lot of cheering, and she heard some of the Hufflepuff's chanting, "Delilah! Cedric! Delilah! Cedric!"

After the cheering there was cakes, sandwiches, a lovely tray of bacon that she could not stop looking at, and an assortment of sweets and chocolates. House elves moved in and out, invisibly arriving with a new platter of food whenever someone announced they were hungry. Delilah could hardly believe the amount of people coming up and hugging her. Some of them were Hufflepuffs she hadn't even seen before.

Someone broke out a few boards of wizards' chess, others played exploding snap, and someone got ahold of confetti and started throwing it at random.

"How did you even set this up?" Cedric asked Rory over the crowd of talking people. His enthusiastic friend grinned at him.

"Professor Sprout," he answered. "I told her what I wanted to do for you two, and within a day the whole house was rushing about trying to set it all up. Apparently everyone asked to help the second they heard who we were celebrating."

Delilah couldn't help it—she started crying. Tears of joy, of course, but still. She was just so happy! Everyone had done this for her and Cedric, just out of the pureness of their hearts!

The party went well into the night.

"Delilah helped me win those Quidditch matches," she heard Cedric say once. "The hours I was teaching her to fly reminded me why I love Quidditch so much, and it definitely got me into shape." In turn, Delilah made sure to mention his flying lessons to anyone who asked her how she helped catch a flying bird-key.

Neither moved apart from each other, however, and sat very close to each other on a couch as the party continued, relishing in being celebrated together. Cedric wore his bright, charming smile and Delilah's stomach was sore because of all the laughing and talking she did.

It became the most amazing day in her entire life.

* * *

 **A/N:**

The reason I have a Beta: "He it was as though he were trying to look relaxed..."

Thank you Beta.


	19. Chapter 18

Amanda leaned back in her library chair. With all of her sisters officially out of the hospital wing, she had decided to go to the library because it was the most deserted area of Hogwarts. She didn't need the quiet though. Rather, she needed the lack of prying eyes, which was impossible anywhere with students because basically everyone at Hogwarts decided she needed a high five or a hug.

Why did she need to be somewhere no one was watching her? Well, because three days before, when she had been walking to the lake, she had gotten one more 'end-of-the-year' surprise.

Salazar, her glass snake, had returned.

Neither Draco or Theo noticed her picking him up just a few days ago, but since then she was either in the hospital wing, or surrounded by a crowd of people with a million questions. So that morning, after a quick 'I just remembered Audrey wants me to meet her in the library,' she had finally been able to speak to Salazar alone.

"Where have you been?" Amanda asked the glass snake that had curled up on the desk in front of her.

"Helping another," the glass snake replied.

"Who?" Amanda demanded.

"I am not allowed to say."

The dark-haired Parselmouth narrowed her eyes.

"Only a Slytherin Heir can command you," she pointed out. "Did Voldemort get you?"

"No," it replied.

"What did he have you do?" Amanda questioned.

"I am not allowed to say."

She hissed in frustration. "Then say what you are allowed to say!"

"I helped a snake-speaker," it answered.

"So…Were you taken by Harry Potter?" Amanda asked again. He wasn't a Slytherin Heir but only Slytherin Heirs tended to have Parseltongue.

"No."

Amanda was ready to throw it when she heard someone behind her. She turned, relaxing when she saw Elena coming to sit beside her.

The older Ravenclaw paused when she saw Salazar. Then she asked, "So you found him?"

"Yes, though the dumb thing must be broken. Says he was taken by someone who speaks Parseltongue but also claims Harry and You-Know-Who didn't take him."

Elena didn't look pleased or intrigued by that.

"Well charms aren't always perfect," was all she said on the matter.

"At least it still records perfectly," Amanda said. "I tested that yesterday right after the teachers gave us all those points."

That interested Elena immediately.

"You noticed the teachers were acting weird too?" she asked.

"How could I not? Professor McGonagall practically ordered the Headmaster to give out points. Something was going on. So I sent Salazar after them. The Headmaster wasn't in the room, of course, and I don't think Snape was either. That or he was just being silently creepy as usual. Here's what he got…Reply what you recorded yesterday afternoon from the teachers."

"Replaying what I recorded yesterday afternoon from the staffroom," the snake announced.

"…Brilliant, Minerva, brilliant!" came Professor Flitwick's voice. "I daresay we've saved Slytherin and Hufflepuff the disappointment."

"You were right all along," Professor Sprout said. "Albus was planning on a Gryffindor win from the start."

"It was as I said this morning. He would have given Potter and his friends more points than that if he had been allowed to wait until the end of term feast," McGonagall explained. "Any amount that would allow them to win."

"But why did you tell us? Why did you thwart his plans?" Flitwick questioned.

"I was not going to stand by as Albus stole Slytherin's victory from under them. It is not fair to let them think they have won and then give out last minute points during the feast, especially so far from the last day we can award points."

"Well said!" Flitwick declared, obviously proud.

"That is all I recorded," the glass snake announced in Parseltongue.

Elena's eyes were alight with thought. Amanda wondered how many thoughts she was sorting through in that big brain of hers.

"So Gryffindor's not going to win," Amanda concluded, "and it sounds like Slytherin will."

"They may, but remember, Delilah got more points than you, and they never said they made it so Gryffindor wouldn't win. They only set the points up that if they did win, the Headmaster has to admit it straight away instead of fooling the Slytherins. Anything could happen," Elena told her. Amanda frowned. "This is much more than that, though. The teachers were controlling the outcome, taking a stand against Dumbledore."

"Which I'm glad about. It would have been awful for Gryffindor to win after letting Slytherin think we had kept our streak going. After all the work we've done!"

"Now it seems like a race between Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Slytherin," Elena said.

"Yeah, after that massive party they had for Delilah and Cedric, the whole house is declaring they've won. We Slytherin's have been saying we've won, of course. Who would have thought it would be Slytherin versus Gryffindor and Hufflepuff?"

"How has been Delilah doing, by the way?" Elena asked. Amanda had to remind herself Elena hadn't been seen out of the hospital wing until now.

"She's the Hufflepuff Hero. She's fine," Amanda said, waving it off.

"And Audrey?" she asked.

"Something has got her skipping down the hallways to the library every morning," Amanda said with a shrug. "Maybe she got an O on an exam. Either way, she's fine."

Elena nodded absently. She was in thought, as always.

"Theo's fine too, before you ask," Amanda went on. "He's finally started talking again. A bit more broody than normal, but he'll be over that by next term, I'd suspect." Elena smiled.

"That is great to hear," the light-haired Ravenclaw said. Then she stood. "Well, I must be going."

"Alright, see you later," Amanda said. With that, the Ravenclaw was gone down the aisles of shelves. For a bit Amanda wondered why the Ravenclaw had come in the first place. Perhaps to just browse the shelves as her older sister sometimes did, or read up on some runes. But Amanda had a theory that Elena had been checking up on her. Making sure she was alright.

Amanda shook those thoughts out of her head and went back to interrogating her glass snake.

* * *

"End of term at last!" Draco announced.

"Who cares about that? There's going to be a feast again! A huge feast!" Millicent exclaimed from her group of Pansy Parkinson and Daphne Greengrass.

"And then there's winning the House Cup, remember," Amanda said.

Pansy gave an evil giggle. "Finally we get to show those stupid Hufflepuffs who's actually won the House Cup."

Amanda enjoyed the house unity she felt between her fellow first years. It wasn't often they were together, but now that they were all traveling to the Great Hall, every student in silver and green were whispering declarations of pride for the Slytherin house.

They entered the Great Hall at the same time as the Gryffindors, filing onto the benches as the whispering multiplied. Empty plates and platters lined the tables, gleeful ghosts roamed above, and all the professors (sans Snape) sat with welcoming smiles. Yet there was one thing everyone noticed.

"Where's the decorations?" she heard a prefect ask.

"Perhaps they don't want to announce the winner yet, since it's so close between three houses," answered another older student.

No one could pay attention after that news. They were either whispering to their neighbor, looking to the professors table in an attempt to get a clue on who won, or fidgeting in their seats urging Ravenclaw to take their seats quicker.

Then the Hufflepuffs came in, all cheering. Slytherins booed at them and the Gryffindors roared that it was they who had caught up. Amanda caught Harry's eye, and he gave her a look, not of distrust of her, but of pride for his house.

Albus Dumbledore stood and shouted out, "Silence!"

The rowdy houses took a little longer than necessary to settle back to their tables. After that, every eye was on the headmaster, who made a show of making them wait.

"Another year passed," the old headmaster began. "And now, as with every year, the House Cup needs awarding."

There was a rousing whisper that quickly died out with a stern look from McGonagall. Once they were quiet again, Dumbledore continued.

"The points stand thus: In fourth place, Ravenclaw with 433 points. Tied for second place—" there were gasps of confusion, whispers, and not even McGonagall could quiet them as Dumbledore spoke above the crowd, "—Gryffindor and Slytherin with 489 points."

"No way!" Pansy shrieked just as the Weasley twins bellowed "That's rubbish!" They weren't the only ones yelling. It had become an all out shouting match until—

"In first place, Hufflepuff, with 510 points."

The house of yellow and black erupted, their sound engulfing the others entirely. They stood up on their benches and cheered, the most clear chants being, "Cedric, Delilah! Cedric, Delilah!" Amanda saw her sister bombarded by at least a dozen of her house mates. The brown-haired wolf girl glowed brighter than the moon.

Amanda shook her head and clapped, ignoring the odd looks her teammates gave her. Delilah deserved the win. She glanced over to Audrey, who was clapping as if she'd won it herself. Then all of a sudden the horse girl and Elena jumped up from their spot and jogged across the way to celebrate with their wolf sister.

And that's when Amanda realized the whole of Ravenclaw was getting up to rejoice with the Hufflepuffs, and several Gryffindors too.

"They did it!" the Weasley twins shouted, rushing over to Delilah to hoist her with a Ravenclaw and a Hufflepuff.

Someone else ran by, shouting to their friend, "They broke Slytherin's streak!"

"And it's the first time they've won in ten years!" the friend shouted back.

'So that's what everyone's up to,' Amanda thought as a sea of blue and red joined the yellow. The Slytherins didn't move, obviously sour about their defeat and broken streak.

But Amanda stood up.

"Amanda?" Draco asked. She dismissed the question and marched over to Delilah.

"Good job," Amanda said. Delilah laughed as she struggled to keep on the Weasley's shoulders as they marched her around.

"We did it, Amanda!" was all her sister could shout back over the chanting of her own name.

"Oi, if she gets hurt we're sending Cedric after you!" Amanda heard the curly haired friend of Cedric's shout. Rory, if she remembered right.

"I can't believe it!" Audrey said, appearing beside Amanda. She was grinning from ear to ear, absorbing her sister's happiness. It was contagious.

Distantly, Amanda heard the teachers half-heartedly trying to settle down the winners of the House Cup. It wasn't really working at all. Still, a few students at a time started walking back to their house table, chattering about the events that just transpired.

"Come on, before we lose our seats," she heard Ron say. "Can't believe we tied with Slytherin. Shoulda beat them easily after what we did!"

Amanda smirked.

"Hey, Harry!" she called. The black haired boy stopped and turned. He gave a quick glance behind him to his friends, who just waved and continued to the Gryffindor table.

Amanda glanced around. Slytherins and Gryffindors had full view of them. Perfect.

"Congratulations," she said.

"Er, you too," he replied, obviously unsure about what she had called him for.

"Thank you for saving me from Quirrell," Amanda told him, and she meant it. Harry took a few seconds to let that sink in.

"Yeah, anytime," he said. 'Oh my adorable Parselmouth,' she thought. "Er, you were pretty brave too, you know, for protecting the Stone the way you did."

Amanda shrugged. "There are only a few Slytherins who would enjoy the return of the Dark Lord. I am not one of them."

"Good," he said. Then he inched back. "I should probably…"

She took a step forward. "Let's have a truce."

"What?" he asked, startled.

"You keep Weasley off my back, and I keep Draco on a leash," Amanda explained. Then she held out her hand. "Deal?" Harry stared at her hand. He nodded, took her hand, and shook it.

"Deal," he said.

They parted ways toward their respective tables. Amanda grinned as she took her seat next to Draco, watching Harry carry on with his night, oblivious.

"What was that?" Draco demanded.

"A truce," she said. "I've made a friend."

"A Gryffindor friend," Draco scoffed.

"A powerful friend," Amanda hissed.

But it was more than that. Harry did not know it, but he was the face of Gryffindor. Amanda, being the Slytherin Heir, had quickly become the face of Slytherin.

And they had just shook hands in front of the entire school.

Amanda knew it was risky. Knew that if the wrong people thought the wrong things, she could ruin everything the Notts, the Malfoys, and Snape had set up for her. Yet, as she glanced at her mentor, she saw an inkling of a smile, which had her smiling right back.

After all, she was done with the Slytherins being treated like criminals. It was time for a change, and what better way to initiate that change than to shake hands with the vanquisher of the Dark Lord, the face of Good in every bedtime story?

'And this,' she thought, 'is only the beginning.'

* * *

Elena heard her Slytherin sister skipping back up the steps to Hogwarts. She hid in the shadow of the corridor until her sister was too far away to hear or smell her.

Then she went the opposite way.

It was darker than Elena had imagined it to be. Dim stone, obviously old and weathered. Wet too, considering its connection to the pipes. Yet it still held its regal touch, the kind only Salazar Slytherin himself could create.

"Open," she ordered in Parseltongue. The last door clicked and swung wide, allowing her in. She only heard her footsteps on the stone as she studied every detail of the chamber she had read about from her grandmother's documents. Every column's ridge, every serpentine carving. Though still damaged like the corridor, old, powerful spells hummed around her like a muggle car. There was more than cemented stone keeping it together.

"A stranger enters my home," hissed a low, round voice in the language she had kept hidden for so long. She focused on the statue of Slytherin, neither cracked nor broken, and watched as the giant snake rose up. Threatening, but averting his eyes. He appeared to be cautiously curious.

"I am merely admiring what was once mine," Elena responded, keeping her voice even. She was not surprised the monster inside was a basilisk. She had narrowed the list of possibilities down to just four creatures, all of which spoke Parseltongue. She supposed she should have known it would be this particular creature, though. It was the fastest at killing.

The basilisk sniffed. A low rumble escaped his throat.

"You are an odd one," he admitted. "Though not unique. I have seen exactly two of your kind."

"My kind?" Elena asked.

"Yes. You are not the only Slytherin Heir to have the title given, then taken away," the basilisk hissed. A sharp edge creeped onto his voice as he said, "The path the ones before you took led them to murder and betrayal of the house to which they once laid claim. But you, I assume, would not follow their way?" Elena tensed, recognizing the challenge.

"Amanda is my sister, and it will never be her fault," Elena declared. Still, she felt the spark of anger toward her sister, no matter how much she tried to push it away. Logically, she knew it was not right to blame her sister. Amanda had had no choice in the matter. However, her emotions did not listen to that logic.

"The ones who came before said the same," the basilisk rumbled, echoing her thoughts.

"Is she a suitable Heir?" Elena asked, ignoring the implications of his last words.

"More suitable, I think, than I would have predicted knowing the dark blood that runs through her veins," the basilisk answered, his voice low. Quiet.

"What do you mean?"

The basilisk shook himself from the distant state. "In time you will learn."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "You're protecting her."

"She is the Heir I must now protect," he answered dutifully.

"You care for her," Elena corrected. The basilisk recoiled.

"And what does that matter to you, half-Heir?" the basilisk hissed, raising higher.

"I only mean to make sure she is safe," Elena soothed.

"Hmm…time will tell if that is true, I believe you will be tested soon, and your trial will be your hardest yet. Then we shall see if protecting the Heir who stole your title is indeed what you desire."

Elena did not like the sound of that prediction. It was too orchestrated, as if the giant snake knew something no human could possibly figure out, and had known it for quite some time. And accepted it.

"Leave," it ordered, turning. "I do not like prying eyes when I am shedding. No human has lived to watch the process."

Elena nodded, turned, and went back the way she came as the elder snake slithered away. 'Perhaps that is why he was so snappish,' Elena hoped, though a part of her had always known the beast of Slytherin would not appreciate someone who, in his eyes, had failed to remain the Slytherin Heir for one reason or another. She was glad she came, however. It eased her imagination on just what was through the mysterious chamber, and what she had been forced to give up.

* * *

Albus Dumbledore,

I am pleased to hear the idiot is dead. What I am not pleased about is your inability to stay out of other people's business. That night was supposed to test Delilah and Audrey, and yet you let Amanda slip in and save the day. I would be saying this to your face if Delilah had indeed succeeded, yet it seems as I thought: she is incapable of handling what I have to offer no matter her skill of dismissing the Imperious at such a young age.

Nevertheless, you set up Amanda to follow the Boy-Who-Lived through the trapdoor, and though I could care less the plans you have with her, do not mess with mine. And do not claim you are ignorant of them. I know your ways.

As for the matter with Jessica, explain to Professor Snape that I am currently halting all experimentations for the purposes of keeping her condition controlled while she prepares and settles in at Hogwarts. If something were to go wrong and only present itself within the next few full moons…well, I would imagine the consequences would include all our work keeping her condition a secret would be wasted.

As a side note I should mention I intercepted a letter sent by Lucius Malfoy to Borgin. It appears the man has been tipped off about the increased raids. More importantly, he explained in the letter he was only getting rid of his more priceless dark items at the moment, without one mention of Obsidian. Yet he did mention in passing he was keeping one special artifact for his son's friend, and I only know one person who could fit that description. Keep an eye out for it.

Andrew Coppin

* * *

 **A/N: Aaaand it's done! Hope you all enjoyed! The second book is up as well, "The 7 Serpents"**


End file.
